Study of Love
by WeaverofDreams45
Summary: Nico Di Angelo is a senior sociology student at Olympus University who has been unlucky in love for most of his life. Through his thesis research, Nico finds Will Solace, a medical student and graduate assistant who seems determined to teach Nico something that he's never tried to learn before; how to learn to be loved. A college AU.
1. Setting the Date

Nico groaned as he felt the sunlight touch his face. The warmth was nice, but he wasn't ready to be awake. He had stayed up nearly the whole night before writing a paper for his sociology class.

He pulled the sheets over his face and attempted to go back to sleep. After about 15 minutes of sitting quietly and hoping, he gave up and checked his phone. He had a few snapchats, a text from Percy asking if pigeons have feelings (he and Nico both had trouble sleeping so he got about 5 texts like this a week), and a few news alerts.

Taking notice of the time, he let out a sigh before throwing off his covers and jumping down from his bed. His bed was about five feet off the ground, allowing for a little desk grove underneath. Unsurprised, he looked over to his roommate's bed and saw that it was empty. Jason was an early riser and was no doubt on a run or participating in some other grossly healthy activity.

He glanced in the mirror, taking stock of the reflection. His black hair laid messily around his face, landing somewhere around his shoulders. It was in desperate need of a cut, but his dad hated it long, so he took it as a representation of his rebellion.

Yawning and stretching, Nico found the nearest shirt, and after giving it a sniff to ensure that it was clean enough, he put it on. Settling into his desk chair, he opened his phone. There were a few snapchats from Annabeth and Percy. They had just signed a lease on their first apartment together, so they sent updates as the unpacking progressed.

Percy's were mostly of his aquarium that he spent more time cultivating than he did doing anything else. Annabeth's hinted at the fact she had been watching wayyyyyy too much Fixer Upper. By the thirteenth accent pillow option, Nico had gracefully bowed out of his assumed position of assistant designer.

He popped on his headphones and turned his computer on, checking his school email for any updates on his thesis proposal. Dr. Apollo was not known for his quick response, but his philosophy skills were definitely top tier.

After filtering through the spam of his school's social calendar notices, he saw an email from a new name.

"Will Solace?" Nico wondered out loud, trying to think of whether he recognized the name.

**From:  
To:  
Subject Line: Thesis Proposal**

**Mr. Di Angelo,**

** Hello. I am Dr. Apollo's graduate assistant, and I am writing in response to your request for his mentorship on your senior thesis. He told me to respond with (I'm quoting here) "If that brat wants me to serve as his thesis mentor, he had better have the best idea I've ever heard." Regardless, he wanted to arrange a meeting and for me to provide his availability to you.**

**Here is his schedule for next week. Please respond with whatever time and date works for you. **

**Thank you,**

**Will Solace**

At the bottom of the email, he found a span of the doc's schedule. After checking for any previous engagements/scheduled mental breakdowns, he decided on a meeting the next day at 12:45.

**From:  
To:  
Subject Line: Meeting Deets**

**Mr. Solace,**

** Hello! Tell Dr. Apollo that I have the greatest ideas in the history of the world, and you can quote that. I'm free tomorrow (10/14) at 12:45. I can meet the doc in his office if that works.**

**Thanks,**

**Nico Di Angelo**

After a few more minutes of fucking around, he decided to start getting ready for his day. He printed out his paper after double-checking that he was happy with it. He pulled on one of his many pairs of black skinny jeans and his signature bomber jacket. He was deep into Stairway to Heaven when the door opened.

Jason walked in, with a damp shirt in hand. He may be Nico's best friend, but he couldn't help but take a good long look at the golden boy. He was categorically the hottest dude Nico had ever seen, and the absolute worst part was that he knew it.

Jason must have noticed Nico was staring because he started striking poses.

"Okay Mr. Universe calm down. I'm only human." Nico commented, blushing slightly.

That got a laugh out of the tall boy. He was dirty blonde, with cropped hair swept to the side. Only he could manage to look like a god even after a sweaty run.

"Listen Neeks, I know I'm beautiful, but try to keep it in your pants. If I wasn't a straight dude though, you'd be the first one I'd call." Nico rolled his eyes at this, throwing a nearby towel at the boy.

"I'm sure Piper would be thrilled to hear how ready and willing you are to drop her for me." Jason narrowed his eyes but said nothing, using the towel to wipe away his sweat.

Piper and Jason had been high school sweethearts, although they'd gone to different colleges. While Jason had elected for a school in California close to home, Piper had elected to go to George Washington in D.C. She had been dreaming about it for years, so when she got in she had to go. They had a rough patch freshman year, but the closer graduation came, the better their relationship got.

"Speaking of Piper…" Nico began, spinning his chair to face Jason's side of the room. He cleared his throat, "How is she doing with the…incident?"

Jason made eye contact, "Don't ever bring that up again." There was warning in his voice, but Nico could tell it didn't go too deep.

"I'm just saying, I didn't even really see anything. It was dark. My phone was dead, so I hadn't seen your text. Is she still mad?" The shorter boy looked away as he asked this. He tried to act super punk rock, but he didn't really have many friends and worried about losing them.

"She's not mad Neeks, she's just embarrassed." Jason threw Nico a reassuring smile, and then Nico's phone began to ring. The blonde boy gestured that he was going to shower, and Nico nodded in acknowledgement.

"**Percy,"** Nico spoke into the phone, trying to sound bored.

"**Hey my dude."**

"**What's up? Need another hookup with that IT help?"**

"**You make it sound like I only call you when I need you to fix something."**

"**You do. What did you break?"**

"**I didn't break anything this time!" **Nico noted how proud Percy sounded.

"**Okay so what do you need?"**

"**So you know how Annabeth just started here masters?"**

"**Yes, I do know that about Annabeth."**

"**Well, I was hoping you could help me set up a drawing studio in the extra room in the apartment. I wanted to get her a super sweet setup so she's less stressed about having space to work."**

"**What are we talking about?"**

"**A dual monitor display and cross-platform compatibility."**

"**Percy,"** Nico groaned, **"That's not even hard. You said you'd only call me for things that a normal person couldn't do."**

"**Please Neeks!" **

"**Fine."** He relented, knowing Percy would eventually win this argument anyway.

After a few minutes of small talk, Nico agreed to stop by the next night after his classes to help with the setup. He'd never tell him this, but Nico liked helping him. They'd become really good friends once Nico had gotten over his massive crush on the boy. He looked at his watch and realized he should've left for class already.

"Shit!" Nico shouted, grabbing his laptop and paper and shoving them in his bag. Running his fingers through his hair, and putting it up in a ponytail, he exited his room.

He was booking it to class, and arrived with just in time for the professor to walk in. He settled in quickly and started taking notes. This mythology class was stupid easy for him, but attendance was a part of his grade. They were learning about Hades and Persephone that day, and it was one of his favorite stories.

His father has always inspired him with an interest in Greek Mythology, having adopted the name Hades for business purposes. Kind of ironic to own a funeral home called Hades, but that's his dad's humor.

Even funnier was that his stepmom's name was Penelope. Nico always called her Persephone though. It was like a match made in Elysium.

The professor reminded them about their upcoming midterm and declared class to be over. He had a nice break between his mythology class and his philosophy class during which he liked to eat lunch. Every once in a while, he would eat lunch with his friend Reyna, but she was at some sort of Greek Council meeting.

He was laying against a tree finishing the last of his fries when he saw something coming towards him out of the corner of his eye. He had just turned his head to see what it was when he felt it hit him. Closing his eyes, he took stock of his situation. Some asshole had hit him in the face with a goddamn frisbee. He snapped his head up and looked around for the source of the annoying object; that's when time started moving in slow motion.

The curls were the first things he noticed. Beautiful loose blonde curls that both looked perfectly ordered and messy. Next were the eyes, annoyingly blue. Not quite as blue as Percy's, but with a similar joy behind them. He was tall, probably at least 6'0, and lean. As he approached, Nico shook his head, reminding himself that he was mad.

"Hey are you alright?" The boy asked, kneeling down to meet Nico's eyes when he arrived.

"I was, until this flying saucer hit me straight in the face." Blonde boy, even kneeling, was slightly above his eyeline. Nico found that the boy's hair seemed to blend into the sunlight.

"Yeah, sorry about that. We're running tryouts and some freshman overestimated his throwing ability." His smile seemed sincere, and as much as he wanted to, Nico couldn't seem to stay angry.

"Well they need some more practice." He made his best effort to look grumpy, but he didn't think he was very convincing.

"Yeah I guess they do. Sorry again!" The taller boy popped up, grabbing the frisbee from Nico and running off.

Nico blinked after him, taking in that whole encounter. That was one of the hottest dudes he'd ever seen. He looked at his watch and saw he had about 20 minutes before his next class and decided just to head out early.

It was a quick walk to the humanities building. He practically lived in it by now, having spent four years and 115 credits in there. He stopped by the sociology wing and talked briefly with the secretary, Ella.

"Hey El, what's new?" Nico asked, taking a piece of candy from her bowl.

"Nothing much. How was your fall break?" She was a nice woman, always reading something when Nico came by.

"Uneventful, mostly caught up on some work, played games, watched tv. The usual." Nico shrugged, counting down in his head to the inevitable comment.

"You really should get out more. My friend has a younger brother if you're interested. He's real sweet and this one has a job." She smiled at him sweetly, and Nico appreciated her. Although he was hesitant because the last guy Ella had tried to set him up with lived in his parent's basement and smelled bad.

"I'm not really looking for anything, when the time is right, and the person is right, it'll happen." For some reason, Nico thought back to the sunshine boy and couldn't help but smile.

"Okay Nico, but the offer stands if you change your mind." He smiled at her and waved goodbye, heading down the hall towards his next class.

When Nico got there, there was only a few other people. He took his favorite seat in the third-row center and bided his time. He was playing Tetris when Jason sat down next to him.

"With the Tetris again. You do need some serious practice if you're gonna hope to beat me." He sat down, pulling out his own laptop to play against Nico. They had started doing this in their spare time sophomore year. Jason was just stupidly good at it and it pissed Nico off so much.

Before long, their professor walked in and they both closed out of their game. Class was pretty boring, she went over their midterm review and asked for the paper submissions. Nico gave his one last look over before dropping it off in the bin at the front.

Jason had a question about the midterm, so he stayed behind. Nico nodded to him and mouthed that he'd wait outside. There was a nice little lounge area with benches around the corner, so he took out his headphones and sat down. He closed his eyes, letting the music hit him. He drifted off into a light sleep, time passed, but he wasn't sure how much.

He was startled awake by the feeling of someone's hand on his shoulder. He reacted immediately, grabbing the person's hand and twisting it (utilizing that wrestling experience his father had forced him to get.)

"Hey! Hey!" A voice cried, prompting Nico to focus on his presumed attacker. He let go of the other boy's arm as Jason protested and rubbed his wrist.

"Jesus Neeks! What the fuck?" Jason looked grumpy, but Nico was even grumpier.

"You know I don't like being touched J. My instincts kick in." Nico could feel that he was tense and made a conscious effort to unclench his hand. It took a few minutes, but he could feel his body slowly loosen.

"Some instincts." Jason mumbled, starting to make his way back to their dorm.

Conversation passed easily, as Jason recapped his conversation with Dr. Artemis. Their midterm was the next class, and Jason was freaking out about it.

"How are you so calm? This class has been kicking my ass but you always seem to be fine." It was funny how similar Jason and Nico were and yet how different their talents were.

"I don't know J, it just makes sense to me. I may not understand how to act around people, but I just get sociology. I'd much rather have your person skills than be able to study people." Nico knew that wasn't entirely true. While he didn't like how nervous and awkward he got around his peers, he was also very introverted and had never desired to be the center of attention.

He gave Jason his best reassuring smile and refocused his attention. Both boys shared a comfortable silence as they walked back towards their dorm. On the way though, Nico caught a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye. Looking to see what it was, he saw the boy from earlier, the one with the sunshine hair, playing a guitar under the same tree he had been under earlier.

He didn't notice his footsteps slow or that he was staring, until Jason's voice caught his focus.

"Nico? Did you hear me? What are you looking at?" Nico shook awake, making sure to quickly break his line of sight. He wasn't fast enough though, and Jason caught what, or rather who, he was staring at.

"Ooo la la. Who is that Neeks? A gentleman caller?" Jason bumped his shoulder, looking for answers in Nico's expression.

"Just some asshole who hit me in the face with a frisbee earlier." Nico responded, shaking his head to make his hair fall in his face; a pitiful attempt to hide his blush. Either Jason didn't notice or chose to let it go, because he didn't press anymore. They continued walking and arrived back at their dorm.

"Thrones or Parks?" Jason asked when they got back, pointing to the tv they both shared.

"How far are you in Thrones? I fell behind on break." They have been watching Game of Thrones together since Nico's dad had given him his HBOgo login.

"I think I'm almost done with season 3. Do you want to watch the episode you're on or just rewatch some parks and rec?" Jason asked, settling into his giant run-down bean bag chair.

"I don't want to pay attention, so let's do Parks." Nico knew he was gonna be distracted, after all he couldn't get that stupid ray of sunshine out of his mind. "I'm gonna work on my thesis proposal while we watch."

He opened his laptop and found he had a new email.

**From:  
To:  
Subject Line: Appointment Confirmation**

**Mr. Di Angelo,**

** Your appointment is scheduled for 12:45 in Dr. Apollo's office in Elysium Hall Room 205. **

**Sincerely,**

**Will Solace**

The rest of the night passed quickly, and after a dinner of instant Ramen and 6 episodes of Parks and Rec, he fell asleep.


	2. Homework

The next day began in a very similar way, he was bothered awake by an invasion of sunlight, and Jason was also on a run. There was nothing remarkable that differentiated this morning from any other morning.

He had a few snapchats to check this morning as well, he smiled noticing that Hazel had a little cake emoji next to her name. Groggily jumping out of bed, he dialed her number.

"**Hello?" **Hazel answered, a note of suspicion in her voice. Nico chuckled a bit at this, while Hazel continued.

"**What do you want?"** She asked, trying to suppress a laugh.

"**Just checking in, seeing how old age is treating you."** Nico responded. Although she wasn't physically there, he could feel her eyes rolling.

"**Listen grandpa, at least I wasn't born in the 1930s like you."** She noted playfully. It was a running gag in their family that Nico was an old, old man born in another time. He got that from Bianca.

"**Hey, back when I was your age, we had more respect for our elders."** The boy chided, doing his best impression of a grumpy old man.

"**So really though, happy birthday! Do you and Frank have any special plans?"** Nico asked, knowing that they did.

"**Yeah!"** She nearly screamed, excitement oozing from her words**. "We're going to mine our own gemstones. Isn't that awesome?"**

Hazel had been obsessed with geology since she was young, although no one ever thought she'd actually go to school to study it. Being the little dork she was, Frank had been planning for weeks to surprise her. The problem with Hazel is that nothing surprises her.

"**Yeah." **He pandered, feigning enthusiasm. He had never understood her love for fancy rocks, but he'd also never tell her that.

"**Truth be told, I think that this might be the best gift I've ever been given."**

"**You haven't seen my present yet."** Nico quickly replied, putting on a tone of offense.

"**Nico you literally get me an amazon gift card every year."** She stated flatly.

"**And every year you love it."** He answered, a proud tone in his voice.

"**This is true. Although I still think I have last year's. I'm super bad at remembering I have gift cards lying around."**

Nico's head turned as Jason entered, mouthing to Nico that he was hungry.

"**Alright Hazel, Jason just got back from his run, so we're gonna get a bite. Happy Birthday though!"** Jason yelled happy birthday as well, and Nico hung up.

"How old is she now?" Jason asked, grabbing his toiletry kit and a towel.

"19. Although she will always be the same 8-year-old brat she was when I first met her in my head." Nico gave himself a sniff and realized that he seriously needed a wash. He grabbed his shower stuff and followed Jason.

He loved being in college, but he absolutely hated that he had to share a shower. He thought that communal showers would have been left behind in his camp days. Some days he regretted not moving off campus, but he and Jason would need a third roommate since Percy bailed to go be in love. This coupled with the fact that Nico wasn't comfortable rooming with a stranger left them with no other option than staying in a dorm.

Since he hated the communal showers, the dark-haired boy treated every one like a race. He wanted to spend as little time as possible in there, and he was pretty successful. At the end of his speed-run shower, he wrung out his wet hair, combing it through with his fingers. Slicked back, her could feel the still wet strands curl around the nape of his neck. Grabbing his towel, he wrapped it around his waist and went to the nearest sink.

After his standard routine of brushing his teeth, washing his face, and combing his hair a little more, he took one last look in the mirror. He was still thin, despite his attempts to gain some healthy weight in the past few years, but he was thin in an almost muscular sort of way. He stared for a moment at his half sleeve of tattoos and glared at the blank space on his inner bicep. He was one tattoo short of a complete half, but he couldn't figure out what to put there.

Wrapping around his arm, he had a few birds holding olive branches (in honor of his mother's Italian heritage), a field of strawberries (to represent the camp he went to growing up where he met his best friends and his favorite Beatles song), and a skull made of flowers for his sister.

Bianca had always hated Nico's love of the macabre and depressing, but before she died, she had given him a silver skull ring. He wore it every day, but when he turned 18, he knew he wanted to get something more permanent. Flowers seemed like the perfect choice for Bianca, and the skull shape made it represent him. A beautiful and tragic reminder that even in the darkest of times, she was there with him.

But then there was this hole, a patch of skin surrounded by ink. He had been struggling to find something to fill the space since his last bird was complete. Nico had always believed that tattoos should mean something, and right now there was nothing else meaningful to him. He had already represented everything important in his life.

Sighing, he grabbed his stuff and made the journey back to their dorm room. Jason always took pretty long showers, so Nico knew he had a little time. After putting on a clean pair of briefs, he searched through his drawers to find his less-grungy t-shirts. He didn't need to dress up for Dr. A by any means, but he always felt bad meeting with his professors in his shirts with holes in them.

Deciding on a grey shirt with a v-neck that may have been a bit tight on him, he grabbed another pair of skinny black jeans. He added a button down over it, feeling a little fancy. Putting his watch back on, he glanced at the time. It was only 9:25, so he had some time to kill. He figured Jason would be back any minute, so he flopped on his bed, closing his eyes but knowing that he wouldn't sleep.

Jason opened the door then, letting out a content sigh, remarking, "Man it feels good to stand under that hot water after a run."

"I can't relate." Nico replied, turning over to face the wall so Jason could change in private.

"You know you could come out on a run with me one of these days. Although the way you are, a strong wind might carry you away. You're good by the way." The blonde was wearing their old camp shirt, which made Nico laugh.

"What?" Jason asked, posing in the old orange t-shirt. Orange was such a horrible color and yet Jason made it look so good.

"It's really unfair that you can look that good in that horrible shirt. If you're going to continue being straight and unavailable, please get less attractive." Nico joked, grasping his hands together as if praying.

This sent Jason into a laughing fit, and Nico just rolled his eyes.

"Let's get breakfast." Jason offered, grabbing a hoodie and his keys. Nico agreed, jumping down from his bed and grabbing his coat. His left boot seemed to have gone missing, and a few minutes of looking led to its discovery underneath the pile of clothes Nico had moved so he could sit in his desk chair.

Finally, they set out, heading to one of the dining halls. Breakfast was uneventful, besides Jason eating 4 waffles. It was disgusting watching him shove food in his mouth. For someone who was so in shape, he ate like garbage. Full and smiling, Jason eventually announced he was done.

They went their separate ways, with Jason heading to his psychology class and Nico heading to his dumb people math class. He was the only one of his friends that was bad at both reading and math. He found it kind of funny though that he was probably, academically, the worst of his friends and yet he was considered to also be the smartest.

Math for dummies, as the class liked to refer to themselves, was taught by some adjunct who he was pretty sure also taught at the local high school. It was not traditional math, and instead tried to cover the history of the math. They learned more about Egyptian numerals than they did algebra, which is why Nico found it bearable.

Today they were learning the origin of Arabic numerals, which became the numbers that are used currently. It was super boring for an hour and then he was free. Even though his 10:30 class wasn't that early, he considered skipping it every day. He never did though, feeling guilty about the money his father was paying for him to go to his dream school.

He texted Reyna to see if she was available for lunch and sent a quick snapchat of a squirrel, he saw eating a bagel someone had given it. While he was walking towards the science building café, he got a text from Reyna saying she had another meeting but that they would get lunch soon.

He got his standard lunch of a turkey wrap, uncrustable and iced tea, and decided it was a nice enough day to sit under his tree. Nico liked to sit under the tree, finding that it wasn't a super heavy trafficked area of the quad. He could sit in relative peace, although not when people throw frisbees at him.

Grabbing his phone to change to his tranquility playlist, he sat down to eat. He loved people watching, and when his hair hung a certain way, it was easy to hide his eyes. There were some college standards out today.

There was a pair of freshmen who were soooo in love with each other having a picnic near the mascot statue. At least a few people trying to get a good picture of the ducks by the fountains by offering them bread. Some people sleeping, some people doing homework, a lot of people passing by on their way to the library. There was a comfort in seeing the same things happen every day. It was predictable, or so he thought.

He saw a bird land on a ledge near him and decided to draw it. He took out a random paper from his backpack, maybe a rogue page of notes or an old test and began to sketch the wings. The bird seemed almost to be posing for him, sitting there patiently as he recorded all the details.

Nico was so intent with his drawing that he didn't notice the boy approaching him. Movement next to him finally got him to look up, which is when he noticed the sunshine boy squatting next to him.

The darker-haired boy jumped away, letting out a yell.

"What the fuck?" He asked, taking his headphones off as he glared at the blonde boy. "You can't sneak up on people like that." The bird had flown away at the loud noise, which elicited another exclamation from Nico, "Fuck!"

The blonde boy seemed completely undeterred by Nico's reaction, and in fact started laughing.

"I tried to warn you, but you had these things on so you didn't hear me." The taller boy gestured to Nico's headphones that were hanging around his neck.

"What do you want anyway?" Nico probed, his voice filled with suspicion.

"I wanted to see how your head was doing after you got hit by that frisbee." He seemed genuine, and Nico had to admit that his cold exterior was melting with every second the boy smiled.

"You mean when I was attacked by that frisbee?" He said playfully, a smirk working its way onto his face. "Don't worry, no harm done. At least physically."

The taller boy stood, commenting, "That's good. I do still feel really bad about that."

"How about sneaking up on me and scaring me half to death? You have any remorse about that?" Nico chided, grinning at the boy as he said it.

"Nope, not even a little bit. See you around." The blonde declared, waving goodbye as he jogged toward the library. Nico stared after him for a bit, trying to figure out just who this kid thought he was. Then he looked down at his half-finished drawing and sighed, shoving it back into his bag. By the time 12:35 rolled around, he was done eating and had finished his math homework for the next class. Gathering his things, he stood, heading in the direction of Elysium hall.

He checked his email once before entering the building, just to double-check that the appointment was still on. Percy had snapchatted him a couple of times, but he decided to open those after his meeting. Heading upstairs, he stopped at Ella's desk to say hi before checking in.

"Hey Di Angelo, the Doc's not back from lunch yet, but he left a note saying for you to head back. Will's back there though. Have you met Will?" She asked, handing him an appointment slip.

"Not yet. He's the one who emailed me to set up the meeting though. I didn't even know Dr. A had a grad assistant." Nico responded, snatching a piece of candy from her bowl.

"Oh Will's more than a grad assistant, he's the Doc's son. You know the one going to medical school?" Ella winked at him while saying this, which Nico rolled his eyes at.

"Ella please stop trying to fix me up, I really am fine being sing…" Before he could finish, he caught sight of those sickeningly blue eyes.

"YOU!" He accused, frowning as he took stock of what information he had just received.

The boy from the frisbee team who snuck up on him this morning, that arrogant asshole, was his advisor's son.

The blonde boy flashed a million-dollar smile and stuck his hand out.

"Will Solace, nice to meet you!" He seemed so entertained, causing Nico to frown even more.

"We're not meeting. We met when one of your stupid teammates hit me in the head with a frisbee!" Nico was fuming, disbelieving that the same smug jock he had been talking to earlier was Dr. A's son. Of course, he knew that Apollo had a son, but he didn't know that he was this kid.

"Ah!" Will replied, pulling his arm over his head to ruffle his blonde curls. "That was unfortunate. Maybe I can make it up to you sometime?" He offered with a wink.

Had Nico had lighter toned skin, he probably would've looked like a tomato. Thankful for his Italian genes and long hair, he grumbled in response and pushed past Will, planting his ass on the bench outside of Apollo's office.

"So you're his son huh?" The dark haired boy questioned, hiding his face behind a cascade of hair.

"Yup! All my life." Will responded, seeming particularly proud of this bad joke.

"Ugh you are his son; same terrible sense of humor." Nico joked, the corner of his lip turning up into a smirk.

"I think its actually top tier. I taught him well." A third voice replied, Dr. Apollo appearing behind Will. Now that they were next to each other, Nico couldn't deny the resemblance. He had always thought Apollo had been handsome, definitely way too old for him, but handsome.

His blonde hair had faded a little over the years, slowly yielding to grays, but somehow, he managed to get even more handsome as he aged. His son had his eyes, and both sets were beautiful. Blue and crisp, like the oceans of the Caribbean.

"Hey Doc." Nico spit, catapulting to a stand and clearing his throat. He stood awkwardly, fidgeting with his hands before finally remembering why he was there.

"Oh um so, my thesis proposal is due next Friday so I wanted to go over it with you." After a second of fumbling, Nico pulled a packet of paper out of his backpack.

"Well I guess we better get started. Thanks, Will." Dr. Apollo gestured towards the door, and Nico followed him. He settled into one of the chairs in front of the giant desk. It was stacked with papers, but somewhere buried there was also a computer. Apollo may have been a genius, but he had the organization skills of a toddler.

"Alright so lay it down. What do you want to do research on?" Doc asked, grabbing a granola bar from somewhere in his mess.

"Well I wanted to try and study love from two perspectives sociologically; the ancient Greek, and the modern. The Greek mythology and media tends to have a really…" He paused, trying to think of the right way to express what he was thinking.

"For example, Orpheus's love for Eurydice. He loved her so much that he went to Hades to look for it and made a deal for her return. But that same love caused him to look back at the last moment and lose her forever. The complexity of the discussion of love in myths often ends in tragedy, so I want to compare the myths of old with the myths and legends we deal with nowadays. In the age of social media, has love evolved to be much different than a desperate man trying to save his woman from the brink of death?" Nico hadn't noticed, but he was leaning forward. He waited calmly for Apollo's response.

"Sociologically, it does have an intriguing thesis; does love stay the same through time or has it evolved in our ever-changing world?" Apollo paused, standing. "I have one concern about you doing this topic however."

Nico frowned, making sharp eye contact with his professor. "I can do the work, I've already done long hours of research."

Apollo laughed, "I don't doubt it, you can work very hard when you have an interest in what you're doing. My concern is more based on the emotional aspect of this topic."

The dark-haired boy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that you can't write about something you have never experienced." Nico went to interrupt, but the older man held up his hand signaling to let him finish.

"Yes you have experienced some kinds of love, familial, platonic, unrequited, but you have yet to truly experience the most pure love of all which is true love between two people. Nico you've been single the entire time I've known you. Part of me just wants you to do this for an academic perspective, but also personally I want you to try to find love. But if you are trying to compare Orpheus and Eurydice to a modern romance, the analysis will be incomplete unless you understand the complexity of what it means to love someone so completely."

Nico's mouth was hanging open, his jaw basically on the floor. Apollo was right, he realized slowly. He had thought he'd been in love with Percy, but that was unrequited and a very painful experience throughout his teenage years. He had never even been on a date.

"You're right." Nico resigned, defeated. "So, what do I do now?"

"Well, I will approve your proposal, but you have until the end of this year to prove to me that you understand the emotion that is love. Not just what the word means, but what it means to feel it." Apollo smiled kindly, walking over to Nico and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You deserve to be happy kid. So just try, really try, to open yourself up to a new experience. Even love lost is love." Blankly staring ahead, Nico kept thinking about what he had said. He didn't know how it felt to be in love, not really.

"And if I can't find love." He responded, his voice breaking slightly.

"You will." The doctor replied, leading Nico to the door. Nico sat down on the bench once again, considering his new task. How the fuck was he supposed to do that?


	3. Baby's First Date

Love…Nico had scribbled the word about a thousand times on his thesis proposal. It was an awkward enough thing being told by your professor to have a better love life, but it was another thing to have to figure out how to do it.

Sitting in the atrium of the library was normally calming for Nico, but now staring at the

He had made a list of options on the side, grindr and tinder being the obvious two. Thinking back on Hazel's dig earlier that day, he shook his head shyly. He could never imagine meeting someone online. Sure, it worked out for some people, but he was sadly sure that he would never be comfortable with the online prospect. Plus he wasn't exactly a casual hookup kind of guy.

Continuing on the list, he also crossed off speed dating. It had taken him years to open up to even the prospect of Jason's existence, and he doubted he'd be very good at getting people to like him in such a short amount of time.

That left him with three options:

Ask Ella to arrange a date with the boy who "has a job this time"

Drop out of college and hitchhike around the country

Attend a GSA meeting

He glared at his options, hoping that one of them would jump out as being the best one. Seriously considering the dropping out of college option, he suddenly realized a fourth option.

Will, he wrote in big letters. Ella had hinted to Nico that Will was gay, so he wasn't too concerned about going down the pining after a straight boy route again. He couldn't deny that the blonde was seriously attractive, plus he had curly hair, which made Nico go week at the knees.

He was also smart, clearly, being a medical student and all. It really couldn't hurt to try, Nico thought. Had Dr. A not given this assignment, he probably would never in 100 years have done what he was about to do, but for some reason he felt calm about the whole ordeal.

**To:  
From:  
Subject Line: For Your Consideration**

**Mr. Solace,**

**I was wondering if you would like to buy me a cup of coffee as a formal apology for the terror you've made me endure these past few days. The coffee shop around the corner from the science building is open late on weekdays. I'll be there at 8, come if you want.**

**Sincerely,**

**Nico**

He hit send quickly before he could chicken out. That was the boldest thing he'd ever done in his life. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, rubbing his eyes to try and sooth his anxiety over the matter.

The rest of his classes passed by in a blur, he vaguely remembered being in class and moving to and from locations, but he was not fully there. He was so preoccupied with checking his email every three seconds, hoping to see anything from the blonde boy.

After his last class, he got a text from Percy asking what time he'd be over.

"Shit!" He cursed himself, quickly replying that he'd head over after stopping at his dorm to get his car.

It would probably be a good thing to spend the next few hours with Percy, he'd probably just have an anxiety attack about his life choices if he was left alone.

He stopped in his dorm, mumbling something to Jason about helping Percy and leaving as soon as he had dropped his backpack. The drive to Percy and Annabeth's apartment wasn't too bad, but there was always rush hour traffic on the main road. He still made good time despite having to take a detour.

Nico knocked on the door at exactly 5:37, and Percy opened it up.

Every time Nico saw Percy he felt like that little 12 year-old boy with his first crush again. He was taller than Nico by at least a few inches, but not as toweringly tall as Jason or Will. His dark hair hung lightly around his face, messy and scruffy but in a designed way. He was wearing an Olympus University sweatshirt and a pair of basketball shorts. His blue-green eyes held a bit of panic in them.

"Nico thank God!" He exclaimed, grabbing Nico's jacket sleeve and pulling him inside.

Once inside, Nico could tell why Percy was freaking out.

"What did you do?!" Nico accused, exasperation in his voice.

"I wanted to try to do it myself, so I opened every box and all the bags and laid them out, but I don't understand a lot of the words and so here we are." Percy rambled, stepping around the piles of computer parts and hardware that laid around his floor.

"Well first of all," Nico started, shoving off his coat and throwing it on the couch. "You don't need half of this shit if all you're doing is a dual monitor display and a Wi-Fi-based connection." He got to work sorting out what he needed and didn't need, instructing Percy to find somewhere to put the excess parts.

After all that hype up by Percy, it really did only take Nico about 15 minutes to get the whole system up and running. Which earned him a look of admiration from the older boy that he would have killed someone to get in his teen years.

"Neeks, I can't thank you enough! I don't understand anything about technology, but I know Annabeth will really love it." He looked so happy that Nico couldn't help but crack a smile.

"It's no problem, I actually could use the distraction. It's been a wild day." Plopping on the couch, Nico took his hair out of the ponytail he had put it in, shaking his hair out.

"Ooo tell me about it!" Percy insisted, returning from the kitchen with two glasses of water. He handed Nico one as his dark eyes leered suspiciously.

"Listen Neeks, I am dying for the gossip. I spend all my spare time here now that Annabeth is doing her masters. I feel like a bored housewife. Please indulge me." The blue eyed boy knew Nico's weakness because he put on the biggest puppy dog face and got his eyes real wide.

Nico groaned, readjusting on the couch as his discomfort became more obvious.

"So you know how I want to do a thesis right?" He paused, waiting for Percy's acknowledgment. After a enthusiastic nod from the other boy, he continued.

"Well I was at my thesis proposal meeting and my professor gave me homework to do." Swallowing hard, he waited for Percy's inevitable interruption.

"But homework's not that bad, I mean you're much better at the whole being a student thing than you were when you first got here." Nico nodded in agreement.

"Yeah but this homework is a little different." Nico alluded, trying to think of the best way to phrase his…assignment, if that's what you'd call it.

Percy just raised his eyebrows, but remained quiet, waiting for Nico to continue.

"Well you see," Nico paused, suddenly very aware of the heat in his cheeks. He couldn't believe he was about to tell Percy this, but he had to tell someone or he'd probably explode.

"So my assignment is to fall in love." Nico blurt out, the craziness of his words finally hitting him.

"What?!" Percy exclaimed, nearly choking on the sip of water he had been taking.

The next thing that happened, shocked Nico. Percy began to laugh. Not the kind of laugh where someone's joke was kind of funny, but the kind of hearty laugh that uses your whole body.

"It's not funny!" Nico replied, throwing a pillow at the other boy.

Percy continued for several minutes, wiping away a tear from his eye as he tried to compose himself.

"Stop sulking Nico! It's just so funny. I've been saying for years that you needed to date to get over me; after all I am handsome, smart, funny, basically the whole package." Luckily for Percy, Nico had run out of things to throw.

"I've been over you for years, once I realized what a ridiculous asshole you were, it was easy." He was bluffing a little bit, and Percy knew enough to call him out on it.

"You knew I was an asshole the whole time so try again skelly." At the use of his old camp nickname, Nico lunged, putting Percy in a headlock.

Unlike Jason and his football playing, Percy had tried wrestling for a year before realizing that his real passion was swimming. The two boys wrestled for a minute before Nico called uncle, getting Percy to release his arm that he had twisted.

"Will there ever be a day where I come home and you're not doing something stupid?" An annoyed voice asked. Both the boys' heads snapped up as Annabeth closed the front door. Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun, and she had a grocery bag in her hands. Percy nearly knocked Nico over as he rushed to help.

"Hey sweetie, how was your day?" He asked, kissing her cheek lightly as he grabbed the bag. Heading to the kitchen to put the groceries away, he left Nico and Annabeth alone.

Annabeth and Nico had somehow become even closer friends after she found out about Nico's crush on Percy. She gave him a tight hug before taking off her coat and sitting down at the table. Like clockwork, Percy brought her a hot cup of tea. Nico was really pleasantly surprised to see how content Percy seemed doting on his working gal.

"How's school going Nico? Midterms treating you okay?" She asked, blowing on her tea to get it cool enough to drink.

"Yeah, although I was just telling Percy that today school took an interesting turn." Nico glared at Percy as he lit up, and he could tell the older boy was going to have the time of his life hearing Nico's story again.

He quickly caught Annabeth up on what he had told Percy, but he added in the part about his list of options.

"So there I was sitting in the library when I realized that I had an option that I hadn't considered." Both Percy and Annabeth were listening intently, sitting at the kitchen table while Nico sat on the couch.

"Is it a specific boy?" Annabeth deduced. It was incredibly difficult to get things by her, she was just so perceptive.

Nico nodded, quietly adding, "His name is Will. He's actually Dr. A's son. He's super-hot, smart, his dad humor is charming, he's kinda perfect."

"And the problem with this is?" Annabeth added, stirring honey into her tea.

"I think I like him." Nico replied, lowering his eyes away from hers to break their contact. He really didn't know anything about romance or how this all worked. If anyone could give him solid advice it would be boy and girl wonder.

Percy, being a little bit less observant than Annabeth innocently asked, "Why is that a problem? Shouldn't it be good that you actually have someone to start your quest for love off?" He had his own mug of tea at this point, and Nico almost laughed at his mug. It was blue, everything was blue with this guy.

Nico struggled to think of an adequate answer, pausing while wringing his hands nervously.

"Because the last person he liked was you seaweed brain. And that was years ago. Its scary putting yourself out there." She smiled kindly at Nico, seemingly empathetic towards his predicament.

"I'm pretty sure he's gay or at least bi, so this probably won't go the Percy route, but I've never been in a relationship. I've never even gotten close. I emailed him asking him to coffee, but that was at least an hour ago and he hasn't responded. What if he doesn't want me?" The black-haired boy dropped his head into his hands, adding so quietly it was only a whisper, "No one has ever wanted me." He held his head there for a moment before feeling a weight on his shoulder.

Annabeth had come over and placed her hand there to try and calm him. She knelt down so she would be at eye level with him. "Neeks, its okay. If he doesn't want you then its not meant to be. You've grown so much since we first met at camp 9 years ago. For one thing, you've made the supremely intelligent decision to stop being in love with that doofus." Nico laughed slightly as Percy chimed in with an insulted grunt through a mouthful of potato chips.

"I know growing up was hard and that you never felt like you really belonged anywhere, but don't think for one second you're not wanted. Me, Jason, Percy, we all chose to be friends with you. Romance is scary. Lord knows I was dropping hints on this one for years before he even noticed, but if its meant to be it'll be." Percy had joined them at this point, and he took the chance to ruffle Nico's hair.

"You're the best kid brother I never asked for squirt. And if this guy doesn't like you then he's not as smart as you claim." Nico cleared his throat, getting a little emotional from both of their comments.

Smiling, Annabeth and Percy went to give him a hug. Nico attempted to avoid it, but despite his wriggling, they had trapped him.

"Okay! Okay! If I say I'm feeling better will you monsters let go?" He offered, hoping that might appease these two.

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other, seemingly considering before finally releasing him.

"Nico, you deserve to be happy and loved. You know that right?" Percy asked, stepping back slightly from the couch.

"I know Percy." Nico lied. Well it wasn't necessarily a lie. He did feel like he deserved to be happy, but he didn't feel very confident that it would ever happen. His dad had once said to him that their family was full of tragedies, and Nico had always assumed his life would be the same. After losing his mom and then Bianca, he had shut off from the world and never fully reintegrated.

"When was the last time you checked your email?" Annabeth inquired, returning to her previous seat at the kitchen table and sipping her tea.

"Ummm…" Nico checked his watch, "Probably a few minutes before you got home." He was really terrible at estimating time, and the last time he remembered checking had been when Percy was getting them drinks.

"Okay well lets check again. What time did you say to meet up?"

"8:00," Nico responded, pulling out his phone. He opened his school email and waited for it to load. Percy really had horrible Wi-Fi connection, he noted. His heart almost skipped a beat when he noticed that he had a new email.

"Oh shit!" He said, opening it quickly. "He responded!" Nico exclaimed, shooting up to his feet.

**To:  
From:  
Subject Line: RE: For Your Consideration**

**Mr. Di Angelo,**

**I have taken in your consideration, and while I am very flattered.**

Nico faltered in his reading, shoving his phone towards Percy to finish. If he was going to be rejected, he didn't want to have to read it himself.

**I would like to ask that the venue be changed to somewhere for dinner. I am not a fan of coffee, and 8:00 is too late for caffeine anyway. How about the Jupiter Café? See you there!**

**Sincerely,**

**Will Solace**

Percy finished reading, and it took Nico a second to register what he'd said.

"Wait, so that was a yes?" The shorter boy asked, a smile starting to form across his features.

"Not only was it a yes, but he also suggested something more date-like. Oh Nico he definitely likes you!" Annabeth commented, taking the phone from Percy to read for herself.

"Oh that's amazing Neeks!" Percy agreed, clapping his hand against Nico's back.

Suddenly Nico's smile dropped, and his anxious ticks began to show again. Glancing at his watch, he noted the time; 7:08.

He reminded himself to breathe and looked down at his clothes. He was suddenly very grateful he had felt the need to wear his nice button down.

"Hey Annabeth," Nico began sheepishly, "Can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah sure!" She responded, taking another sip of her tea.

"Can you help me do something with my hair? I think I'm dressed okay, but my hair is a mess." He subconsciously ran his fingers through his chin length hair, wondering if he should put it up.

The blonde girl had a huge smile on her face, "I would be more than happy to help."

Redirecting her attention, she called for Percy to bring her all of his various hair gels and creams. She brushed through his hair, molding his hair back into a slick. She left some height and tucked the rest behind his ears.

"Voila," she said when she was done, gesturing for Nico to go take a look in the mirror hanging by the front door.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw his reflection. He really liked his hair like this, and he normally never put any effort into his hair, so it was a nice change. It had only taken her a few minutes to get his hair nice, so they spent the next ten minutes or so before he had to leave talking over the dos and don'ts of first dates.

"So, all these BuzzFeed articles say that you should just be yourself and avoid talking about your ex. Since you're dashingly charming naturally and don't have any previous boyfriends, it should go great!" Percy offered, glancing very intently at the BuzzFeed article he had been reading.

"Really just be yourself Nico. If it doesn't work out, don't stress it. There are plenty of fish in the sea." Annabeth reassured, shooting Nico a kind smile.

"I'll try my best. I mean the worst-case scenario is he doesn't want to go out again. I think I can handle that." He grabbed his coat from the couch, giving himself one more once-over in the mirror.

"Alright. Wish me luck guys!" He was smiling despite the huge ball of anxiety sitting in his stomach. It felt like a knot of rope that he couldn't untangle.

"You don't need it." Annabeth and Percy said at the same time, giving Nico goodbye hugs.

"Text me how it goes!" Percy shouted, as Nico walked out, closing the door behind him.

Grabbing his keys, Nico headed to his car. He searched through his Spotify for a moment before finding his favorite pump up playlist. His car radio ran a little fast, meaning it was not quite 7:30. He had a half an hour until the first date of his life.


	4. Third Impressions

"Take a deep breath." He repeated to himself, pulling his jacket collar close to his cheeks to keep out the slight chill. He closed his eyes, planting his feet and breathing in deep. The air stayed in his lungs for a moment, as he felt his body loosening slightly. With an exhale, he opened his eyes.

Did he feel more ready to go into his date? No. Was he thinking about getting back in his car and driving away? Yes. Did he notice the blonde boy in the distance watching this whole ordeal? Also no.

Will stood a bit back from Nico, stopping to observe him. He watched at the smaller boy stood with his eyes closed in the parking lot. The moon illuminated his face, and Will couldn't help but notice the beautiful glow of his features. His eyes were fixed on Nico, watching him as he breathed. It was only for a moment or two, but it felt eternal; Will was truly transfixed.

After his calming breath, Nico walked into the café, deciding to hover by the door for Will to come rather than sitting. It would be easier, he thought, in case Will didn't come. The moment the thought entered his mind, he heard the bell chime of the door opening and saw Will approach.

"Sorry I'm a little late, I couldn't find my keys." He offered, running his fingers through his hair. Nico noticed the pinkness of his cheeks and couldn't help but smile. Will was wearing a deep red button-down and khakis. He looked like a J-Crew model which Nico thought was categorically unfair. His curly hair was messy but tamed by Will running his fingers through.

"Its alright, I just got here too." Nico replied, putting his hands in his pockets and breaking the eye contact.

"Should we get a table, or do you want to sit at the counter?" Will asked, looking around the restaurant for open seats.

"We can do either, whatever you want." Nico fumbled, trying not to sound over eager or under eager. He was really not good at this whole going on a date business.

"Alright let's do a table then. My legs tend to get cramped by the counters." The blonde boy moved forward to talk with the hostess. She greeted him by name, which led Nico to believe that Will was a frequent customer.

A few seconds later, they were following a young girl with menus. She placed them towards the back of the section, there were not really any other people in the vicinity, which Nico was thankful for. He shrugged off his coat as he sat down, exploring the menu.

"Have you been here before?" Will inquired, alternating between glancing at Nico and the menu.

"I think I came here a few times freshman year, haven't been in a while though. My roommate Jason practically lived here our freshman year, something about it feeling like home. It kind of made me sick of coming here. What about you?" He was mostly curious about how the girl knew his name, but the question seemed innocent enough.

"I come here every Sunday with my mom. Kind of how we adjusted the visitation schedule once I was in school." Will smiled through his answer, but there was something underneath that led Nico to believe there was something more to it. He wouldn't press though.

Their server came by at that point, a guy who was probably in his late 20s. His name was Aaron, and he took their drinks orders after talking with Will for a second. Everyone in the diner seemed to know Will.

The dark-haired boy rubbed his fingers together, trying to send his anxiety from his stomach to his fingertips and out into the world.

Will put his menu down, looking up at the other boy who was still scanning. "I have to say, I was surprised when you emailed me. I really didn't expect it."

Nico looked up to meet Will's gaze, "Yeah I think I surprised myself." He could feel a blush creeping up slowly, so he cleared his throat and made a joke. "I mean, you didn't exactly make the best first or second impression. And I guess I didn't either."

He was mentally kicking himself for that, figuring that if he was intently staring at the menu, Will would let it go. Aaron arrived back with their drinks, and Nico took a long sip from his water, suddenly aware how dehydrated he was.

"Well here's to third impressions." Will announced, holding his soda up for a cheers. Nico followed suit, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips.

"So Nico, tell me about you. What are the basic facts?" The blonde boy asked, bringing his drink up to his mouth and sipping.

Nico took another sip from his water before responding. "Well um…What would you want to know?" He fumbled over his words, cursing himself for the nervousness in his tone.

"Anything you're willing to share." Will encouraged, his eyes bright and eager as he looked at Nico. If a golden retriever became a person, he was pretty sure that person would be Will.

"Um…well…I'm a senior sociology major, I'm 21, and…" He paused for a moment, thinking. "And that's all I got."

Will laughed, drawing a glare from Nico. "Sorry my dude, but you just introduced yourself like we were doing those icebreakers professors make you do at the beginning of the semester." His shoulders were shaking as he attempted to suppress his laughter.

"Well I'm not a super interesting person, so I don't know what else to say." Nico went to hang his bangs in front of his face before realizing that he had Annabeth gel them up. This did not positively contribute to this moment as he could feel his blush growing.

"Alright let's do 20 questions. I'll ask a question and you answer it honestly. Sound good?" Nico nodded, making eye contact with Will.

"What's your family like?"

"Umm…Well there's my dad and stepmom, my younger step-sister Hazel, and my older sister Bianca. Disclaimer on that last one though, Bianca died when I was 10. Not really first date material, but maybe I'll tell you about her sometime."

Will smiled before clearing his throat, composing himself.

"I'd like to hear more about her. My next question is, who are your friends?"

"Well my two best friends are Percy Jackson and Jason Grace. Jason also doubles as my roommate. Percy's girlfriend Annabeth is mixed in there too. Jason's girlfriend Piper is really more of an acquaintance, but maybe we'll be friends someday. That's pretty much it."

"Okay. Nice a tight knit group of friends." Will paused, putting some thought into his next question. "What do you like to do in your free time?"

Nico took some time to organize his response, "I play a lot of games, mythomagic and video games mostly. Watch Netflix with Jason, sleep is a big one." He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "I'm pretty boring honestly."

Will gave him an encouraging smile. "Boring is kinda my speed, no worries. What kind of music do you listen to? Favorite artist?"

"Umm…See I'm so bad at this stuff. I listen to a lot of classic rock, pop punk. My favorite artist changes every day, but right now its Trophy Eyes. They're an Australian punk band. I'm sure there's a bunch more I listen to, but those are the two most prominent genres." Will seemed to be stifling another laugh, which earned him a glare from Nico.

"I'm sorry I don't mean to laugh." Will paused, catching his breath. "You just look like a fucking poster child for pop punk." Nico couldn't help but laugh along. He did kind of look like the generic pop punk kid.

"Well what do you listen to sunshine? Children's nursery rhymes and Christian hymns?" Nico threw back, throwing the balled up remains of his straw wrapper at the boy.

Will placed a well-planned hurt expression. "You wound me, I can pop and punk with the best of them." This earned an eye roll from Nico, and their server came back then to take their dinner orders.

Nico hadn't actually picked anything, but didn't want to ask for more time deciding, so he panic ordered a cheeseburger. He knew it'd be good, but he hadn't really actually looked at his options fully. Will ordered some sort of wrap, and then Aaron asked for their menus and went off to put their orders in.

"So what's your favorite artist then?" Nico mused, skepticism in his voice.

"Well actually he's an indie folk artist. Passenger. He had that one song on the radio a while ago, let her go." Nico vaguely remembered the tune.

"I didn't peg you as an indie folk kind of guy, but it makes sense I guess."

"The funny thing is that I'm not super adventurous with my music. I tend to listen to whatever is popular or my friends suggest. He's really one of the only artists I really love and follow." Will emptied his soda, the straw making an annoying slurping noise as he hit the bottom of the cup.

"What about tv shows?" This question led to a fierce debate about whether the Office was better than Parks and Rec, which Nico strongly believed he was winning. So much time had passed while they were talking that suddenly their food was arriving.

A comfortable silence hit for a few minutes while they ate, with Nico devouring his burger after realizing how hungry he was.

Will stared at him, a shocked expression on his face.

"What?" Nico asked, his word garbled as he talked with his mouth full.

"For such a small dude, you eat like a linebacker." Will commented, laughing as Nico flashed him his middle finger.

After a few more minutes, both of them had finished their food, and an easiness had made its way into their conversation.

"So we've talked about tv shows, especially the greatest tv show of all time The Office…" Will paused to stick his tongue out at the darker-haired boy who was glaring at him. "We talked about music, so now what about movies? Specifically, going to see one on Friday."

Nico nearly choked on his water, coughing as he took in Will's offer. "You wanna go see a movie on Friday?"

Will's blue eyes widened, waiting patiently for a response. "Yeah. Have you seen the trailer for A Star is Born?" He added, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table.

"I have." Nico responded, hesitantly.

"Great! The Palace is showing it at 6 if you'd be interested in going." Will's smile was infectious, and he could feel himself giving in. He couldn't think of any reason not to.

"Sure…yeah…that'd be nice." Nico finally smiled back, watching Will light up with his response.

"So…" Nico started, clearing his throat to try and calm his discomfort. "Just to, um, clarify, this is a date, right?" His eyes darted down, refusing to meet Will's gaze.

"It better be," Will responded quickly, "I wore my nicest date outfit." He put his arms up as if he was posing, which earned a laugh in response.

"Also, if this wasn't a date, your hair wouldn't be gelled back." The blonde boy pointed out, as Nico instinctively went to brush a stray hair behind his ear.

"Can I make a confession?" Nico asked, wringing his hands together, waiting for acknowledgement from Will.

With an encouraging glance, Nico leaned forward.

"This is my first date." He announced, feeling a blush creep up.

"Really?" Will asked, innocently, "Don't worry, it didn't seem like it." He grabbed Nico's hand reassuringly, holding on.

This did nothing to help Nico's blush, but he didn't move his hand.

"What about you?" Nico inquired, staring intently at their connected hands.

"I've been on a few. Never spanned into any relationships though." He left it there, changing his focus to the bill that had been placed on the table.

"How do we want to do this?" Nico asked, removing his hand to get his wallet out.

"Well why don't you get this one, and then I'll pay for the movies." Will offered, glancing at the total. One of his favorite things about the Jupiter was how cheap the food was, but still good.

"Sounds good to me." The darker-haired boy responding, placing his credit card in the bill envelope and standing it upright.

Aaron came by again to collect the envelope, leaving Nico and Will a few more minutes of small talk.

"I never asked about your basic facts. Lets do icebreaker and family facts." Nico stared at Will expectantly as the blonde boy thought about his response.

"Alright, coming at you rapid fire: I am a medical student in my third year, I am 25, and my mom and dad are divorced. You know who my dad is, and my two older brothers Mike and Lee are professors like him. Mike teaches instrumental performance at some college out East, and Lee teaches military history or something." Will seemed to be running through his life in his head to see if he was missing anything.

"Yeah that's about it." He finished.

Nico took that in, commenting his questions, "How much older are your brothers? Are they married?"

Will answered quickly, "Mike is 5 years older, and Lee is 8 years older. Lee is married, and he has a few kids. Mike is probably going to be single forever, but that seems to be a choice. He seems pretty content living alone with his dog." He laughed at his own response, apparently finding his brother's lives funny.

"I'm not super close to them, but that tends to happen with age gaps like ours." He looked at Nico curiously. "I know Bianca is a not today topic, but what about Hazel?"

"Hazel is fine to discuss. Its actually her birthday today. She's 19. She's going to college to study geology, which just shows how different we are. She has a boyfriend, Frank, who is probably one of the best people I've ever met, so I'm happy for her. We're really close, which didn't really start until Bianca died. But I'm glad to have her even though she's annoying." Nico smiled, as Will grabbed his hand again. The wait staff seemed to be cleaning up, so Nico took that as a sign that they should head out.

He stood, putting his jacket back on. Will followed suit, pulling a pair of gloves from the pocket. The two walked in a companionable silence out of the diner, bracing themselves for the chill as they walked out.

As they approached Nico's car, the two turned to face each other. Nico leaned against his door as Will stood next to him.

"So we're on for Friday right?" Will double-checked, zipping up his coat to protect from the wind.

"Yeah!" Nico responded, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Nico…" Will started, taking a deep breath, "Can I kiss you?" He asked, waiting for a response from the shorter boy.

Nico swallowed his shock, nodding his head lightly, nervousness filling his body.

Will moved closer, leaning down so he was aligned with Nico's face. He closed the distance, brushing his lips against Nico's. It was soft and sweet and gone too soon. He felt himself leaning into Will for more, reconnecting their lips.

This kiss was deeper, more longing than anything. Nico hadn't really had any expectations about his first kiss, but this was perfect in every way. It was only when the two ran out of breath that they pulled apart. Will's hair seemed lightly tussled as Nico realized he had run his hands through it.

"So was that your first kiss?" Will asked, grabbing Nico's hand in his and bringing it close to him.

"Yeah it was." Nico responded, distractedly, his mind harkening back to a moment ago. "It was nice." He continued, his eyes wandering to his hand currently being held by Will.

"I had a good time tonight." The dark-haired boy admitted, shivering from the bitter wind.

"Me too." Will echoed. "Tonight was unexpectedly great. Thanks for inviting me. I'm glad you noticed I was flirting. I'm not known for my romantic prowess."

"You were flirting?!" Nico exclaimed!

They both doubled over as they laughed. "I thought I was being so obvious!" Will shouted, breath hitching as he caught a laugh.

"No! I had no idea! I would never have thought you were interested. Ella had tried to set me up with you right before my meeting, so I figured I'd shoot my shot." Nico took a moment to catch his breath. "I can't believe you were flirting."

The two settled again after that, standing in the cold together for another minute before Will finally broke the silence. "We should probably get going. It's late, and I have class in the morning."

"Oh yeah." Nico replied, disappointment apparent in his voice. "But so 6:00 on Friday right?"

"Definitely!" Will agreed, "I'll pick you up at 5ish? There's that really good pizza place right near the theater we can go to beforehand."

"Sounds good to me." The shorter boy chimed in, becoming more and more aware of how warm Will's hands were.

The blonde boy hesitantly let go of Nico's hand, moving it instead to cup Nico's chin. Pulling his face towards him, Will placed another soft kiss on Nico's lips. This kiss was sweet, but both could feel a pull like a magnet when they finally came apart. Both could tell that if they could, they would've spent the whole night like that.

Nico was the first to break away, getting in his car and pulling out of his spot. He watched Will as he faded away in his rearview mirror, and made the lonely, ten-minute drive back to his dorm. His watch showed that it was only 11 when he pulled up, but knowing Jason, he'd be sound asleep with Netflix showing the are you still watching box.

Getting out, he made his way up the stairs to his door. He tried to turn the key as quietly as possible so as not to wake up his sleeping friend. To his great surprise, when he opened the door, he found Jason sitting in his bean bag chair with his desk lamp on next to him. It looked like a spoof of those rom-coms where the girl's parents stay up all night to bust her when she comes home.

"And where have you been young man?" Jason asked, a knowing glance in his eyes.

"Well, its kind of a long story…I'll tell you in the morning." There was a promise in Nico's voice that satisfied Jason for the moment. Climbing up to his bed, the dark-haired boy sent a quick group snapchat to Percy and Annabeth with just a thumbs up emoji against the darkness of his dorm. He wasn't awake for long, nodding off almost as soon as he closed his eyes. It, after all, had been a crazy day.


	5. The Day After

He hoped that he would have a few minutes before Jason woke up to figure out what to say. Nico had forgotten his hair was gelled when he fell asleep, so it was a horrible tangle of knots when he woke up. He sighed as he attempted to run his fingers through, meeting resistance from his dark tresses every time.

Risking a glance, he looked over in the direction of Jason's bed. Finding it to be empty, Nico let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. After all, last night could have all been a great dream. Part of him was scared that if he talked about it, he'd find out he had imagined the whole thing.

He climbed down from his bed, rubbing his eyes and yawning when he reached the floor. Catching sight of himself in the mirror that hung on the back of the door, he couldn't help but laugh. His hair had grown into a giant poof and he had somehow removed his jeans at some point during the night. Reflecting back at him was an image of himself wearing a button-down shirt and boxers, with giant tangled hair.

He heard steps approach and Jason's voice, bracing himself for the inquisition. The doorknob turned slowly, as Nico made his way back up to his bed. Maybe he could pretend to be asleep.

Nico pulled his covers up, hoping that Jason wouldn't notice that he was awake. He loved Jason, but he was known for being a little overzealous about the details of Nico's personal life.

"You know, you're a terrible actor." Jason commented, taking the opportunity to climb up to join Nico on his bed. Nico would've been lying if he hadn't dreamed about this scenario before, but it always happened in a much different set of circumstances.

"No I'm not. I'm asleep." Nico gurbled out as he pulled the sheets over his head to create a cocoon around himself. Jason rolled his eyes, grabbing the covers and pulling them back from Nico.

"You promised." He said accusingly, glancing at Nico with his very best hurt puppy-dog eyes. Grumbling, Nico sat up, placing his back against the wall.

"What did Percy tell you?" Nico asked, playing with a stray piece of string on the edge of his blanket. He could already feel his face getting warm as he even thought about describing last night.

"For the sake of argument, let's say I know nothing." Jason asserted, looking expectantly at the smaller boy. He seemed to be ignoring that the two of them did not have enough room to be on this bed together. Jason's hair nearly skimming the ceiling as he sat with his legs crossed.

"Okay well so…" Nico cleared his throat, deciding that straightforward and quick would be the most painless way to talk to Jason.

"You know how I met with Dr. A Tuesday?" He started, waiting for a nod from Jason to continue.

"So Dr. A gave me…I mean I guess it is homework but its also like umm…a life mission I guess." Saying it out loud made it sound even crazier than he thought.

"To…" Jason prompted, bringing Nico back to his explanation.

"To…" He sighed, putting his head in his hands. "So he told me I need to fall in love."

Just like Percy had the night before, Jason burst out laughing, having trouble breathing by the end of his outburst.

He wiped away tears from his blue eyes and tried to control himself. "Nico that is the greatest thing I've ever heard. When Percy told me it was funny enough, but hearing you say it. Thank you for this gift." The goofy smile on his face pushed Nico over the edge, or rather pushed Nico to push Jason over the edge. With a swift kick, Jason was on the floor. He recovered quickly though, bouncing back up as Nico glared.

"So, Percy mentioned something about a date, but he refused to give me any more details, so dish." He placed his forearms on the edge of the boy's bed, catching Nico's foot as he tried to kick him again.

"I know its super embarrassing for your edge lord persona to have feelings, but you can either tell me or I can tell Hazel you went on a date." The threat was enough to concern Nico, so he resigned.

"You can not tell Hazel about this." Nico stated, enunciating every syllable for emphasis. She had been hounding him about his love life since he came out to her before college. He'd learned tactics to deviate her from the subject, but there's no way she'd yield if she found out he went on a date.

He launched into the story, starting with his email correspondence. "Well it started when I emailed him asking him to get coffee…" It took him about 15 minutes to recount the whole story, leaving out the part about the kiss at the end. Jason didn't interrupt, which Nico was grateful for.

"Wow Neeks. I'm so proud of you. I think that's the most ballsy thing that I've ever heard of you doing." He fluffed Nico's hair, getting caught for a bit before working his fingers out.

"Yikes. You gotta brush your hair my guy." Nico groaned, laying back down on his pillow.

"Don't you have a few miles to go run or something?" Nico prodded, groaning again as he sat back up and moved to get off his bed.

"Today's a cheat day!" Jason retorted, a shit-eating grin spreading on his face. Nico rolled his eyes and grabbed a nearby towel. From his experience with his hair, the only way to get it somewhat manageable again was to thoroughly wash it. The gel was now almost cemented in and he assumed he would need a jackhammer to work through it all dry.

He grabbed some gym shorts and a tank top too, since he assumed that Jason would still be in the room when he got out. The shower was only around the corner, so it wasn't like he would be gone very long anyway.

It was a quick shower, even by Nico's standards. Some frat-boy wannabe was by the sink detailing his latest (and probably fictional) sexual exploits, and if Nico hadn't been in such desperate need of a shower, he would have just left and come back later.

Thursdays were Nico's crazy busy day. He was a TA for an intro sociology class, along with his regular classes. The only problem was it was a three-hour night course. He didn't mind the lateness, but there's only so many times you can listen to a bunch of student athletes and burnouts try to figure out the complexity of human existence. Not that the kids were stupid or anything, they weren't, it was just that the class is used as a gen-ed filler for a lot of people, so they don't care about it the way Nico did.

Nico had been interested in sociology ever since his mother and father had moved to the United States from Italy when he was 6. It was so different and yet so similar to the country he'd grown up in, it was fascinating how the human condition changes based on geographic location, heritage, culture, upbringing, etc.

He stuck his arm out of the shower stall, grabbing his nearby towel, quickly rubbing himself dry. He exchanged the towel for his clothes, hastily pulling on his shorts and shirt. Finally, he stepped out, grabbing his things as he went and hoping to avoid human interaction.

"Hey Nico, long time no see." The dark-haired boy silently cursed to himself as he realized he was going to have to make small talk.

"Yes, it has been a long time." Nico commented back, turning to face the voice that had called him. Neon blonde hair and a sickening smile met his gaze. Sitting on the sink counter, Nico saw him. Octavian was honestly one of the most annoying people Nico had ever had the displeasure of meeting. He had a complex about Jason always beating him at intramurals and decided anyone who associated with Jason was worthy of his annoyance as well.

"When did I last see you?" He paused in fake thought, "Oh yeah, when you lost the volleyball finals to Jason. I was watching from the sidelines, it was a hell of a game." The smirk that accompanied his statement caused Octavian's nostrils to flare. As much as Nico was an introvert, he could also be confrontational when he needed to.

"Oh don't worry, he'll get what's coming to him. So will you." Octavian hopped off the counter, using a smug smile to hide the threatening tone in his voice. The two boys stood, staring at each other, for a moment before the blonde boy sauntered off. Taking a deep breath, Nico made a point of focusing to unclench his fists, which he had formed into balls.

He spent the short walk back to his room drying his hair with his towel. Jason was laying in his bean bag working on some paper for his class when Nico got back.

"You won't believe who I ran into in the bathroom." The shorter boy posed, as Jason stared intently at his laptop screen.

"Who?" Jason questioned, not breaking from the paper research to look at Nico.

"I'll give you a hint, teddy bear." He watched as Jason realized who he was talking about, and they both started laughing. Octavian's mother had stopped by the dorm once because he had left his favorite stuffed animal at home for a break. No one had ever let him live it down.

"How is good ole Tavi?" Jason asked, "Still looking like an egg?" Both the boys burst out laughing again.

"Good. He said that you would get what's coming to you. Which I am all in favor of, because that head of yours is getting a little too big for my tastes." Nico attempted to ruffle the blonde-boy's hair, but Jason caught his wrist before he could. All laughter was gone from his eyes as he warned Nico.

"Don't. Touch. The. Hair."

Nico backed off, holding his hands up in a show of surrender. He had momentarily forgotten that Thursdays Jason skyped Piper. He must have gelled his hair while Nico was in the shower because it was looking even more glamorous than normal.

He plopped in his desk chair and turned on his laptop. Checking his email was always his first thing, to make sure that there were no cancellations or assignments he needed to adjust. After sorting through the social emails, spam from the various services he had signed up for with his school email, and an assignment reminder for his math class, he noticed it; another email from Will.

**To:  
From:  
Subject: Hello Sunshine**

**Mr. Di Angelo,**

**I realized after our meeting yesterday that I did not ascertain your telephone number. This is crucial information to make further meeting planning easier. Please respond promptly so that this oversight can be remedied.**

**Sincerely,**

**Will Solace**

**P.S. If you have a snap you should add me: quantumsolace ;P**

Nico found himself smiling like an idiot while he was reading this. He grabbed his phone from under his pillow and realized he never checked it that morning. Percy and Annabeth had each sent him his good morning snapchats. Hazel had sent a bunch of pictures from her birthday adventure. After rooting through the shots, he replied with a quick text expressing how glad he was that she had a good birthday.

Opening snapchat, he pulled up the add a friend screen. Typing in quantumsolace, he added Will as a friend. Even Will's bitmoji was cute, which was ridiculous and uncalled for. Only a few seconds late, he got a typing notification.

_Seriously, SkeletonKing128?_

He groaned at the reply, he always forgot that he had made his snapchat name in high school. It was so embarrassing.

_Listen, it was very on brand when I was 16. _Nico shot back.

_Okay. But just know I will be cataloguing this information for later embarrassment._

The threat was joking, and Nico chuckled to himself. He didn't notice Jason looming over his shoulder.

"Wow you have it bad. Giggling? Neeks, you've gone soft." Nico nearly fell out of his chair as he locked his phone and nearly threw it away from him.

"I was not giggling!" The darker-haired boy insisted, pouting and running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to fight the oncoming blush.

"Don't worry. It was a very manly giggle." Jason knew enough to move away, as Nico tried to punch him in the arm.

"Predictable. I'm hungry. You coming?" He asked, grabbing his keys and throwing on a jacket. Nico shook his head. He wasn't hungry yet, and he'd rather not go out with his hair still wet.

"Alright then peace." Jason threw up his hands in the peace sign and closed the door behind him. Nico glanced at the time on his laptop and saw he had another hour and a half before his first class.

He took a selfie to respond to Percy and Annabeth and decided to check the stories section. Nico loved to keep track of people, but hated talking to them, so snapchat stories were one of his favorite forms of pseudo-spying.

There were not too many up, but he did see that Will had posted something. He clicked on it, and his jaw almost dropped to the floor.

Nico saw a picture of a shirtless Will with his blonde hair pulled back by a headband. The caption said gotta love early morning practice, and he was making a goofy face. Nico knew Will was attractive, but he hadn't imagined that he'd be so…. muscular. Not muscular really, more toned. Lean and toned; that was it.

He swallowed, double checking to make sure that Jason was gone from the hallway before locking the door back up. His hand found its way down to his shorts. Slipping his hand in the waistband, he started stroking his dick. The picture had burned itself into his brain, as he closed his eyes and thought of their kiss yesterday. He imagined that it was Will rubbing him, kissing him as he did. Nico could taste Will's lips as he gave completely in to his desire.

His pace grew faster as he imagined running his hands all over Will's bare chest. Release came all too soon, as he realized it had been quite a while since he had last masturbated. For a moment he was embarrassed, before realizing that he was alone, and he would be the only person who would know about this. He took off his basketball shorts and hid them deep in his hamper, making a note to himself to do laundry as soon as possible.

Standing there, he grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans. It was strange that although he had probably 5 or 6 pairs of black skinny jeans, that he could tell all the pairs apart. Replacing the tank top he was wearing with a battered The Ramones shirt, he pulled on some socks as well. His first class wasn't until 10:30, so he decided to waste some time playing Stardew Valley on his computer. He loved wasting time building a farm and taking care of animals, it was so calming.

Hearing a vibration, Nico paused his game. It was a snapchat from Will. The picture was of a bagel with cream cheese and some coffee in a mug that read World's Best Professor with the caption #thief. He laughed as he realized that the mug and bagel were probably from the Sociology department's faculty room. He snapped back a picture of one of his chickens in the game with no caption. He wasn't very clever, so that's what most of his snapchats consisted of. Before he sent it, he made sure to add a black and white filter.

Soon enough, he had to leave for class. It only took him a minute or so to gather his stuff for the day, making sure to take his laptop charger with him since he probably wouldn't be back to the room until after 9.

His morning class went by quickly, due to the midterm they were taking. When he got out of the test, he was pleasantly surprised to see that Reyna was free for lunch. She was in so many different clubs and organizations that he only got to see her for lunch once or twice a month. Heading to the quad, he sat under his tree and waited for Reyna to join him.

There was a gentle breeze that Nico was enjoying as she approached. Her long, dark hair was pulled back in a braid, and she wore a green sweater and jeans with heeled boots. He hated when she wore heels because it made her taller than him; a point which she loved to let him know about over and over.

"Ave Praetor!" Nico called to her, earning an eye roll. They had met in his Latin class sophomore year, and ever since they ran a role-play where Reyna was a Roman Praetor it had just stuck.

"Sup Nico." She sat next to him swiftly, crossing her legs and pulling out a chipotle bag.

Nico grabbed the burrito she offered, adjusting his legs to sit cross-legged as well.

"Thanks again Reyna! If I had one more turkey wrap, I'd probably explode." Nico started in on his burrito, fitting as much as he could in one bite.

"It's the least I can do. I have abandoned you for most of the semester." They sat in companionable silence as they ate. Reyna finished her lunch first, launching into a rant about the 'inability of the administration to work with her on her Greek life initiative'. He didn't really listen, but she also didn't expect him to. They ran on a mutual understanding that Nico would quietly listen if Reyna needed someone to talk to.

"I mean can you believe that? The dean of students didn't even really listen to my proposal. I think all the Greek houses and the campus would benefit from a clean up the campus day." Nico nodded along, balling up his wrapper and putting it in the bag they came in.

"Just keep hounding them. You know you're a force of nature when you want something done." Reyna nodded, a slight frown on her face. She gathered all the garbage and got up to go throw it out. That's when Nico spotted a familiar mop of golden hair jogging up.

"Hey there skeleton boy." Will greeted, his hair still in the headband from earlier.

Nico only stuck his tongue out in response, refusing to acknowledge the nickname. Reyna approached them, clearing her throat as a sign to Nico to introduce her to his new friend.

"Oh yeah. Will this Reyna, my friend. Reyna this is Will, my…" He paused, unsure of what to label Will as. "Yeah this is Will." The blush on Nico's face led Reyna to give him a knowing look as she shook Will's hand.

"Nice to meet you Will. I must say, Nico hasn't mentioned you before. How did you meet?" Reyna's gaze would have brought most people to tears. She was in interrogation mode, astonishingly enough though, Will maintained his innocent grin.

"My dad is Dr. Apollo. I'm his grad assistant. We met the other day before Nico's thesis proposal." He was so convincing, that Reyna dropped her accusatory tone.

"Oh. Well it's nice to meet you. Nico, I have to head out. I'll talk to you later." The last statement was more a warning than a promise. He nodded after her, turning to Will.

"Thanks for that. I don't think you're ready for a Reyna interrogation." Will laughed at this, sitting down next to Nico.

"No worries. I don't think we have enough information to make any labeling decisions yet. Speaking of lacking information…" He cut off, grabbing Nico's phone.

"Unlock please." He requested, grabbing Nico's hand to use his thumbprint to unlock the phone.

Nico watched as Will created a new contact, putting his number in. He then sent himself a test text. Nico punched his arm as he saw that Will had used his phone to text himself hey cutie.

"Hey!" Will protested, putting his hand over the spot that was punched.

"I just wanted to stop by to make sure I got your number. Gotta head back to the food run I was on. I'll see you tomorrow, though right?" He looked at Nico expectantly, a goofy smile on his face.

"Yeah tomorrow!" Nico responded, a matching goofy grin working its way onto his face.

"Alright! See you then skelly." Will promised, planting a short and sweet kiss on Nico's lips before jogging away again.

Nico sat there, stunned, placing his fingers on his lips gently. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.


	6. Time to Party

"Nico. Nico! NICO!" The blonde yelled, waiting for Nico to snap out of his stupor. He had been staring out the window of the dining hall for almost 10 minutes.

"There better be an excellent reason why you aren't paying any attention to me. You know I'm like Tinkerbell; if you don't give me attention I'll die." Nico laughed at that, slowly bringing his eyes back to Jason's.

"Sorry J. I'm just thinking." He took a bite of his fries, finding that they were starting to get cold.

"About mystery boy?" Jason accused, raising his voice and wiggling his eyebrows. Nico rolled his eyes, grabbing another fry.

"He's not a mystery, I may have asked him out over email, but I have met him." He gestured with his fry towards Jason, pointing at him. "And you can not trick me into telling you who he is. Its too soon for that and you are…" He paused, deciding on the perfect phrase, "A lot. You are a lot."

Jason honestly should have been an actor. Clasping his hands to his heart, he contorted his face into mock offense. "The _audacity_," he emphasized, grabbing a napkin to wipe away his fake tears. "I can't believe that you will tell Percy and Annabeth, but not your best friend in the entire world. Your roommate. Your life partner!"

At that comment, Nico threw a fry at him. Jason, of course, caught it in his mouth, bursting into laughter.

"Nah I get it Neeks, I am a lot. But also you will have to tell me sooner or later. Plus didn't you say he's picking you up for this date? I just need some binoculars." He looked like a cartoon villain, as he rubbed his hands together maniacally.

Nico sank into his chair, groaning. "You are never gonna give up, are you?"

"Nope!" Jason insisted, a playful smile on his face.

"I'll tell you who he is if tomorrow night goes well okay?" Nico locked eyes with Jason, initiating a staring contest that would determine who won this argument. Nico refused to back down, locking his eyes on Jason's and forcing himself not to blink. It was then that Nico became thankful that Jason wears contacts. His eyes dried out, and he was forced to blink.

"Fuck!" Jason screamed, finally giving in. "Fine you emo bastard, I'll wait to find out who this prince charming is." His pout was almost pathetic enough to make Nico feel bad…almost.

Nico felt his pocket begin to buzz and pulled out his phone.

"**Hi Percy." **Nico started, knowing what this call was going to be about.

"**Nico. It has been 6 hours and 21 minutes since you said that you would tell me about you date." **

"**Wow Perc, not that you've been counting or anything." **Nico laughed. Jason shouted hello to Percy through a mouthful of pasta.

"**Hey Jason. Nico, pass the phone." ** Nico told Jason Percy wanted to talk to him and handed over the phone.

"**Shello!" **He opened, garnering another eye roll from Nico.

"**What do you know?"**

"**Depends, what do you know?" **Realizing what was happening, Nico snatched his phone back from Jason.

"**Percy, you are NOT comparing notes. I told Jason about the date because he ambushed me this morning. I will call you after I get out of my last class, okay?" **Nico didn't even wait for an answer, hanging up on the boy. He shoved his phone back in his pocket and glared at Jason.

He was glancing around the room and whistling to avoid Nico's glare. "I wasn't gonna tell him anything." He protested, pouting.

"You are SO lucky that the deadline to switch roommates was in September." Nico shot. He found his frown fading the longer he looked at Jason, and soon both boys were laughing.

"Neeks, you know we only hassle you because we love you. Percy and I just want you to be happy like we are." He immediately threw his hands up in defense, backtracking on his point. "Not that you aren't a complete and whole person without a significant other."

Nico narrowed his eyes. He had that argument with Jason every time they watched a romantic comedy. No one should be made to feel like they are inadequate if they aren't in love and Nico was very passionate in this belief.

"I'm gonna get dessert. You coming?" He posed to Jason, grabbing his plates and standing up. The dessert bar was probably one of the best things about going to the buffet-style dining hall.

Despite having eaten two burgers, half of Nico's fries and a bowl of pasta, Jason readily agreed to what must have been his fifteenth course. Dessert was an essential meal group for the two boys, and it was something they had bonded over at camp.

"Yo dude!" Jason called excitedly as they moved from the dish drop off to the desserts. "They have dirt pudding!" The blonde boy grabbed a tray and three servings of dirt pudding. Honestly the saying a kid in a candy store should have been based off Jason Grace.

Nico looked around, surveying the assortment of ice cream flavors. He finally landed on some chocolate chip cookie dough and a slice of red velvet cake. Filling a bowl with fruit, he headed back to the table. In the few moments he had not been watching Jason, it appeared that he had decided to grab a fourth serving of dirt pudding just in case.

"I swear, I have no idea where you put all of this garbage." Nico gestured with a spoonful of ice cream towards Jason's incredibly full tray.

"I am a growing young boy, I need to eat."

"Well you're never gonna stop growing at this rate." Nico pat his gut and look accusingly at Jason. The blonde boy just stuck out his tongue and began digging into his first dirt pudding.

Nico felt his phone buzz again and reached into his pocket. It was a snapchat notification from Will. He felt his heart beat go faster but managed to not alert Jason. That was the last thing he needed at the moment.

He opened the app and waited impatiently as the red box loaded. Once it turned solid again, he clicked it, again noticing that his heart rate had increased dramatically. If this whole thing panned out, he hoped that the heart palpitations would not be a lasting side effect.

When the picture appeared, Nico couldn't help but smile. It was a video of Will dancing like an idiot to the Office intro. He laughed out loud, garnering a confused glance from Jason.

"Is it mystery boy or Percy doing something stupid?" He asked, in between bites of his third dirt pudding.

"He's not a mystery. But yeah, its him. Fuck J, I really like him. This sucks." He put his hands behind his head and locked his fingers together. Boys had never really been one of Nico's strong suits, relationships and feelings were close seconds for things he did not understand.

"Awww Nico's in love. I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"You're an idiot." Nico insisted, a blush creeping up on him again. Luckily for him, Jason was distracted when his friend Connor rolled up to the table. Most of Jason's intramural friends would wave hi and then ignore Nico, which worked out just perfectly for him.

He took about 7 pictures before he deemed one acceptable enough to send to Will. He pushed his bangs in front of his eyes and stuck out his tongue. After perusing the emoji catalogue, he decided on a word art that said loser with a laptop. That seemed sufficiently flirty, so he sent his masterpiece. Although it was a pretty simple task, the whole process had taken Nico several minutes to get just right. It is crazy how high stakes snapchatting a new person is.

Nico started paying attention to Jason's conversation, and his ears perked up when he heard the word party. Connor had a pretty wicked reputation for throwing incredible parties. He didn't really drink, but on the odd occasion that Jason got Nico to leave the room, it was always Connor's parties that they ended up at.

"Nico, you gonna come by?" Connor threw his direction, raising his eyebrows as he waited for an inevitable no. He was so sick and tired of people making assumptions about him.

"What time?" Nico responded, watching as both Jason and Connor's expressions changed to shocked ones.

"Um…tomorrow night around 9 or 10." Connor replied, looking back at Jason with a smile.

"I have something at 6, but I'll stop by afterward. Still living with Luke and Travis?"

"No actually, Luke turned out to be a dick, so we have a new roommate. You'll meet him if you come."

"Alright cool, is it BYO or a cover?" Jason at this point was just staring in amazement at Nico.

"Cover. $5 for dudes, ladies get in free." A mischievous glint in his eyes made Nico feel sorry for the ladies he was referencing. Connor was notorious for getting drunk and professing his love for anyone he saw, it had happened to Annabeth the one time they had gotten her to go to a party with them. She still brought it up as an example of why she doesn't like parties.

Nico had to admit, the disbelief in Jason's expression was definitely worth it. He wasn't a huge fan of parties, but it was his senior year. There wouldn't be any more chances to go to college parties after that year.

"Alright so we'll see you there lads!" Connor held up a peace sign and nearly hopped away. That boy was way more excited to party than he was to be going to college.

"What? Was? That?" Jason enunciated, putting emphasis on each ending sound.

"What?" Nico said with a shrug, a smug grin on his face. It wasn't often that he got to surprise Jason, and he did love how powerful it made him feel.

"I have to almost drag you to every party you've ever been to and now all of a sudden you're all 'Is it BYO or a cover?' Who are you and what have you done with little Nicky?" Jason held his spoon accusingly, making sure not to spill any of his last bite of dirt pudding.

"I don't know J, I'm just feeling…" He paused, trying to think of the right word. "Spontaneous." His smile was genuine as he played with the liquid remains of his ice cream. There was something different about him since he was given this challenge; he couldn't quite explain why, but he felt different.

"Well if it has to do with your mystery man, I'm voting he stays around forever. We've been trying to get you out of your shell for years, and this guy gets you to do it in two days. I'm kinda jealous."

"I probably would've done it for you too…" Watching Jason's eye him skeptically, he added, "If you were gay and I thought I had a chance. You really dropped the ball being in a happy heterosexual relationship." Both boys burst out laughing, and the meal continued in content silence. Nico had finished his ice cream and moved onto his cake, it was dry, but the taste wasn't too bad.

Jason had gotten a text from Piper, asking which dress she should buy for her sorority's formal. Every time Piper had a fashion question, Jason always consulted Nico, even though Nico insisted that he was not ascribing to that particular gay stereotype. He dressed pretty okay, but that was mostly due to the fact that 95% of his wardrobe was black.

"I don't know, maybe the blue one?" Nico supplied, not very confident in his answer.

"I think she looks amazing in everything, so I really need you to help me when she needs opinions Nico." Jason pleaded, offering his phone to Nico for a closer look.

Obliging Jason's stupid request, Nico grabbed the phone and pretended to mull it over. "Yeah. I'd say the blue dress is a better option, the silver one doesn't flatter her as much."

Jason just nodded along, shooting Piper a response voting for the blue one.

"Alright, I think I've officially filled all four of my stomachs. Ready to head out?" Nico shoved the rest of the slice of cake in his mouth and muffled a yes through it all. He grabbed his bomber and followed Jason to the tray drop off and then the exit.

"So, I'm off to skype with Piper. I know that your class normally goes full time, but if you finish early, remember to shoot me a text." Nico just stared blankly ahead, avoiding thinking about what they would be doing over skype.

"Yup. A-okay captain." He responded, shoving all thoughts about the ensuing…conversation to the back of his mind.

"Hopefully the class will go fast. Maybe Dr. D will let me grade papers instead of lecture." In his heart, he knew that was just wishful thinking. He honestly didn't know why Dr. D had become an education. Children did not seem to be a group of people he enjoyed; but then again, he didn't enjoy adults much either.

Jason said his goodbyes and headed back towards the dorm. Nico pulled his phone out and checked his notifications. A snapchat from Will and a text from Annabeth. Cursing, Nico realized that he did still owe them details on the date. He opened Will's snapchat first, finding a selfie of Will doing a facemask with a headband holding back his hair. It was goofy and cute, and Nico couldn't help but smile like an idiot. This time he decided to respond with an artsy shot. He hunted around for a large leaf on the ground. Once he had found a suitable specimen, he used the snapchats features to draw a face. He mimicked Will's spa day caption and sent it.

Taking a deep breath, he sat on a nearby stone wall and dialed Percy.

"**I've been waiting all day!**" Percy snapped as he answered, after only one ring.

"**Percy I literally talked to you maybe half an hour ago.**" Nico responded, rolling his eyes at how dramatic the older boy was being.

"**That's not fair, you know that I have ADHD.**" He could almost hear Percy pouting through the phone.

"**So, do I Percy. We met at a camp for kids with ADHD.**"

"**Your point?**"

"**Alright. Anyway.**" Nico drew out the anyway, choosing to pick his battles.

"**Yeah, anyway! How was your date? You sent us that thumbs up yesterday and then radio silence.**"

"**Well I mean, I do go to college Perce. I know that you are living off your sugar momma's education and career, but some of us plan to fend for ourselves.**"

"**Hey! Just because I plan on being a stay-at-home dad when I grow up doesn't make it any less of a job!**"

"**It does when you aren't doing the dad part!**"

"**Rude.**" Percy responded, not having any rebuttal to that argument.

"**Anyway, back to the date. It was a lot of fun. We talked the whole time, it was never forced or uncomfortable. We're going to see a movie tomorrow. And…**" He paused, not adding the next part '_and he kissed me_'.

"**And what? If I find out your withholding information, I will follow you on your next date with binoculars.**"

"**You and Jason with your binocular based threats. Anyway, and I really like him Perce. I haven't liked someone like this since, well since you.**" Even though the years had dulled the feelings, Nico was still embarrassed about his crush on Percy.

"**Wow. So you really like this guy.**" He could sense a shift in Percy's voice, all joking was gone, replaced by a sincerity that he didn't often get from the older boy.

"**Yeah. I really do.**" He expected Percy to make a joke about how this guy could never live up to his beauty, but what he did instead surprised Nico.

"**You deserve this Nico. You deserve to be happy.**" It seemed like such a simple phrase, but it floored him. He didn't think anyone had ever told him that before. When Bianca died, things had gotten very dark, he had turned away from everyone and as much progress as he had made recovering, he hadn't fully healed. He never expected to, he blamed himself for her death. He fought against dark thoughts every day, but the loudest ones shouted that he had no right to be happy and alive while Bianca was dead.

"**Nico, are you still there?**" Percy asked, concern evident in his voice. Nico hadn't even realized it, but he'd started crying.

"**Yeah I'm here. It's just…I know you're right, but its still hard…**" He tried to choke out the rest, but he couldn't find the words.

"**I know Neeks. I know.**" The second was quieter, Percy knew better than anyone how Nico felt. Percy had been there when Bianca had her accident. He had blamed Percy for a while, before realizing that he was projecting blame to avoid the fact that it was his fault. Well, not his fault according to the very expensive therapist he went to see for a few years.

"**She'd want you to be happy Nico. You know she would.**" Percy was right, and Nico did know that. It was still hard to rework almost a decade of self-loaming and blame. Maybe he did deserve to move on and be happy, maybe Will would make him happy. He was hesitant to put too much faith in that.

He wiped away the tears from his eyes, grateful for the chilling wind to dry them quickly. "**Listen Perce, I gotta go, class is gonna start soon. Thanks though. For you know…**"

"**Don't mention it kid. Any time.**"

Nico hung up, composing himself before starting the brief walk to Elysium. He walked into the faculty lounge in the sociology wing, thinking that some coffee might cheer him up. That was one of the perks of being a TA. He went to grab his favorite mug before noticing a familiar sight out of the corner of his eye.

It was the mug Will had used earlier, the one with the World's Greatest Professor. He grabbed that one and filled it, adding his cream and sugar like he always did. Placing it on the table, he took a snapchat, using the writing tool to cover the professor part and write TA. He sent it to Will before grabbing his TA folder from the mailbox and heading to the room.

It was now officially t-minus 24 hours until his second date.


	7. Aphrodite's Palace

The stupid sun woke him up again. He swore at the air as he attempted to pull his pillow over his eyes. It was useless though, and he groaned as he came to that realization. The night before had been calm enough, getting out of class at 9 and then playing Call of Duty with Jason until about 10:30. Nico tried to go to sleep, but his anxiety regarding his upcoming date.

Jason, of course, had been awake for hours and from the looks of it had already returned from his casual 5-mile morning run. Nico knew that he had a five to ten-minute window before Jason returned, so he decided to make the best of it. He got dressed, picking his light wash jeans rather than his usual dark. Searching through his drawers, he found himself tossing aside all of the black. He couldn't quite place why, but he was feeling quite colorful today. After a time for sorting, he was incredibly disappointed to find that he had already worn the only nice shirt he liked. Jason walked in while he was debating just wearing black anyway.

"Deciding between the black and the off black?" Jason teased, throwing his towel on the top of his hamper and plopping into his bean bag chair.

"No." Nico shot, knowing that Jason was right about his usual outfit options. He had never really cared about fashion, but law of neutrals was black went with everything.

"Why don't you wear that button down that you wore for our presentation last semester?" Jason offered, already having guessed that Nico wanted to look nice for his date.

"I wore that on the first date." Nico responding, blushing as he spoke.

"Alright then." Jason blurted, standing and grabbing a coat. "We're going shopping." He declared, snatching his wallet and keys from his desk.

"J I have class. You have class. We can't just go shopping." Nico insisted, catching a random t-shirt Jason had thrown at him.

"Neeks, you are really not trying to tell me that you aren't dying for a reason to miss math? And we both know you know too much about mythology for you to worry about missing a class." He checked his watch. "Which means that in the three and a half hours before Soc, we can find you a suitable date outfit."

Nico knew he had lost already, so he threw his hands up in surrender. He pulled the shirt over his head and grabbed his coat. His keys were already in his pocket, so he just grabbed his wallet from yesterday's jeans, and he was ready to go.

"Where are we gonna go? I don't think I've ever gone clothes shopping near here." Or ever, he thought to himself. He mostly perused thrift stores or was given things as presents.

"Pipes took me to this boutique place when she was visiting last. I think they should have something that would be perfect." They had finally arrived at Jason's car. It was a new Audi, the only bribery attempt from his father that he'd ever accepted. Nico had never been a car boy, but when he looked at Jason's car, he kinda got it.

The boutique was only a short ride away from their dorm, only about fifteen minutes. For some reason, he was nervous about this. He assumed it was tied to being nervous about his date, and buried his emotions. He looked up at the entrance sign and laughed, Aphrodite's Palace.

"Are you serious?" Nico asked, incredulously, pointing at the dangling sign.

"What? It's fitting for a date outfit." Jason wiggled his eyebrows and opened the door. Nico followed after him, hearing the bell ding as they closed the door behind them.

A blonde woman called out to them from the back, saying she'd be with them in a minute. Nico took this as a chance to look around and see what his options were. He, of course, was drawn to the t-shirts, finding a vintage-looking Rolling Stones tee that he was seriously considering.

When Jason noticed this, he grabbed his collar and nearly dragged him back to the front, offering him a chastising look. Nico didn't have time to complain, as he noticed the blonde woman approaching. She was very pretty, with long hair pulled to the side in a luxurious looking braid. Her makeup was simple and accentuated her eyes. Had he been a straight man, he might have fallen in love with her on the spot.

"Oh Jason! It's good to see you; its been too long." Jason hugged her, smiling all the while. Nico shot him a look of confusion, waiting for an introduction.

"This is my friend Nico." He added, gesturing to the other boy. "Nico this is Piper's friend Calypso. Well I wouldn't so much say friends, more sisters." Jason seemed to be fumbling over the words.

Calypso held her hand out to Nico for a handshake. "We're both in Omega Phi." She clarified, noticing the change in Nico's expression to show his confusion was being cleared up.

"So what brings you here J? I know the formal isn't for a few weeks." She folded her arms and eyed him hungrily. Not in a sexual way, but in the way a child looks at a new toy they want to play with.

"Yup. And I will be in for another fitting next week at some point, today I'm here for him." He pointed at Nico, which caused her to redirect her gaze. As amusing as he had found it a moment ago, it was not nearly as fun when it was directed at him.

"Very nice. And what occasion am I dressing you for?" Her eyes had lit up, and he was certain that she already had several outfits planned.

"A date outfit." He responded, suddenly feeling embarrassed about her gaze.

"Oh, now is this a special someone or is she more of a casual thing?" Her question was innocent enough, but Nico felt a nervous chuckle escape his lips. Jason answered for him, which Nico was grateful for.

"That is to be determined Lyps. I'm thinking a nice sweater." Jason put emphasis on the last word, already expecting the glare that ensued from Nico. He hated sweaters and Jason knew that.

Calypso sat him on a nearby bench and told him to wait, she promised to be back in five minutes with the first few options. True to her word, five minutes later, she arrived back with both arms full of hangers.

"Alright. Let's get started."

The first few outfits were way too Mr. Rogers looking for him, and by the fourth argyle sweater, he had half a mind to walk out.

"I'm really not going for the children's show host vibe. I'm not a J-Crew model and I don't want to look like one." Jason started to launch a protest, but Calypso caught him before he could finish.

"Nico's right J. This will probably be easier if we really lean in to the tall, dark and mysterious vibe." She bounced then, nearly vibrating with energy. "I have just the thing." She insisted, running away and hurrying back.

In her hands, she held a dark pair of tan khakis and an emerald green sweater. It wasn't like the sweaters he had tried on, it was plain with no pattern and incredibly soft. He found himself drawn to it, reaching out to touch it instinctively when she arrived. She shoved the hangers into his hands and nodded her head in the direction of the dressing room.

The khakis were a size too big, but the sweater fit like it had been made for him. Somehow it was clinging to his body in a way that made him look muscular. He stared at himself in the changing room mirror, rotating and moving to inspect the outfit from all angles. He looked…sexy? He couldn't place it, but he thought that might be the word he was looking for.

Stepping out, he could tell by Jason's expression that it was exactly the word he had been looking for. Calypso just clasped her hands together, declaring herself a genius. Nico had to agree with her, she had found the perfect outfit.

"Nico you look amazing. Honestly I don't think I've seen you in something like this since…" He paused to think, but returned, "I don't think I've ever seen you look so…" He was at a loss for words again.

Calypso didn't have the same problem, eyeing Nico up and down. "If I wasn't taken, I'd be desperate to get your attention Nico. You look hot. She's gonna love it!"

"I hope he will." Nico whispered, trying to run his fingers through his hair again to mimic how Annabeth had done his hair last time.

Nico and Jason finished up there, buying the outfit and, to Jason's dismay, the rolling stones t-shirt. Nico was surprised how his nervousness had quickly turned into excitement. He couldn't wait for his date. Jason proposed a quick lunch off campus, and Nico readily agreed. It was nice to spend some free time with him off campus. They were both so busy this year that they hadn't really hung out the way they used to.

Nico found himself staring at a bird nearby, letting the sun warm his face. Even in the mid-October cold, the light made it comfortable. The two sat contently as they finished up their food, only breaking the silence when Jason asked Nico if he was ready to go. The time had passed quickly, and he hadn't realized how reluctant he was to go back to campus. He knew he had to though, so soon enough, they were walking back to Jason's car.

The radio was on, and Jason and Nico both made eye contact as they heard the first beats of their song. It was silly, but when they were freshmen, they had both become obsessed with Uptown Funk. Any time it played, they had to crank the volume up and put the windows down. He laughed as Jason howled out one of the hallelujahs.

Once the song was over, the ride passed quickly, and they were pulling into Jason's parking spot.

"Alright. Should we just head to soc a little early?" Nico proposed, getting out his id card to open the door to their dorm. Jason considered this, looking at his watch. "We might as well. I just need to pee when we get upstairs and then we can head out."

Nico grabbed his backpack, making sure that his laptop and sociology notebook were both present. He grabbed Jason's backpack too, waiting outside the door for the other boy. The walk to class consisted of Game of Thrones theories. Nico had very strong opinions about who should ascend the Iron Throne.

"I'm just saying, it would be way too obvious if Daenarys won. Not saying I wouldn't love that, Emilia Clarke is amazing." Nico talked with his hands when he felt particularly passionate, something that he had inherited from his mother.

"But maybe that's why it's the right choice. Wouldn't you be shocked if they did go with the obvious?" Jason offered the counter-point, both boys incredibly invested in their conversation. By the time class started, it could be argued they were in a full-on debate. Class ran a little late, ending at 3 instead of 2:45.

"Alright so what's the plan between now and when pretty boy picks you up at 6?" Jason asked, shoving his notes into his backpack. It drove Nico nuts how disorganized his backpack was.

"I guess attempt to do my hair and bide my time. Also, you don't know that he's pretty, he could be the ugliest man in the world." Nico chastised playfully.

"You're forgetting Nico, I know your type." The wiggle in Jason's eyebrows made Nico blush. He had been the first person Nico had told about his crush on Percy, and he knew that he would learn to regret it.

"Unfair Grace. Totally unfair." Nico protested, pouting and crossing his arms as they left the classroom.

"I'm just saying, pretty boy seems to be your type." As much as Nico loved to argue, he couldn't really find a defense for that. Jason was right. Will fit all of Nico's criteria; tall, handsome, blue eyes, he even had a dimple on the right side of his face when he smiled.

"Check and mate." Jason said, making a checkmark in the air. "You know my binocular threat was real. Either you introduce me to this guy willingly or I will find out my own way."

Nico groaned, knowing that Jason had every intention of fulfilling that threat. That somehow reminded him that he had never texted Will his address.

_Hey Will, its Nico. I live in the Asphodel dorms. _He erased that and eventually retyped it. He figured it was casual enough.

He and Jason had almost made it back to the dorm when he felt a buzz.

_Sounds good sunshine. See you at 6!_ He smiled at the stupid nickname and took a deep breath. Jason knew at this point that he had talked to Will and chose not to mention it. When they got back to their dorm, Nico went to go take a shower; wanting to make sure that he was as fresh and clean as possible.

No Octavian this time to slow him down, so it was a really quick process. He decided to try and gel his hair while it was still damp, and after ten minutes of wrangling; it mostly resembled Annabeth's work. He actually kind of liked his better, it was less sculpted and more like his natural hair. Just if his hair was more…managed. He shot a glare at the reflection of his arm, still frustrated over his lack of inspiration over what to put in the blank space.

The towel wrapped around his waist needed to be resecured, so Nico decided just to get dressed. Checking to make sure no one was around, he grabbed his boxers. He was a champion at dressing quickly, the years at camp had prepared him well, but he still felt self-conscious being naked for even a moment in such a public place.

The reflection caught his eye as he turned to leave. The sweater fit him so well, and now paired with his mostly done hair, he nearly gasped out loud. He almost didn't recognize himself; it was such a departure from the skinny jeans and rocker tees he wore daily. The khakis were tight, but not to the degree that he normally wore.

He remembered Calypso advice about something called a French tuck and attempted to get his shirt to tuck into the front of his pants. Nico hated to admit it, but this sweater outfit was probably the new favorite thing he owned. Maybe sweaters weren't so bad after all.

Giving himself one more look in the mirror, he smiled and gathered his things. The short walk back to his room seemed like an eternity. A girl from the floor up, Nico didn't know her name, tried to make eye contact with him. He was fiercely avoiding her when he ran straight into an opening door.

"Oh my bad guy." A voice called out, offering Nico a hand up. He recognized who it was and accepted the offer.

"Its all good Grover, I should have been looking where I was going." Grover Underwood was an RA on the next floor up and good friends with Percy.

"Yeah man, don't go barreling into doors like that." He gave a low whistle, looking Nico up and down. "And where are you going Mr. Calvin Klein?"

Nico blushed, clearing his throat to attempt to force the color back. "I'm going to the movies." He responded, attempting to make his voice sound as nonchalant as possible. Dorm gossip spread very quickly, and he didn't want the whole world knowing his business. Grover eyed him suspiciously, but let it go. It reminded Nico of Reyna the day before.

"Alright well enjoy your movie. And try not to run into any more doors." He laughed at his own joke, and waved goodbye as he jogged down the hall.

He moved fast to the room, opening the door and shutting it quickly behind him. Jason didn't even move from his gaming position to look at him.

"So J, how do I look?" Nico prodded, running his hands along the front of his sweater to try and smooth it a bit. Jason didn't break eye contact from his game.

"I'll tell you in a sec Neeks, I have like thirty seconds left in this gun game." Nico rolled his eyes, sitting in his desk chair and watching.

"Son of a bitch!" Jason shouted when the game was over, and he found out he lost. "It's all these fucking preteen Cheeto-fingered assholes beating me. Makes me not even want to play anymore. Can't they just win gracefully without taunting me with their bullshit."

Nico held in his laughter, patting Jason on the back. "There there old man. There there." Jason tried to pull him into a headlock, but Nico was too fast. Jason grabbed a nearby pillow, but he held his hands up defensively.

"Come on J, I have a date. You can't mess up my hair or my outfit or I promise I will not tell you how it goes!" Nico tried to sound serious, but his laughter broke through his threat. It still seemed to have hit its mark since Jason put the pillow down and pointed at him.

"I will remember this." He promised, taking a step back and looking at Nico fully.

"Nico, and I say this as a straight man, but DAMN." He wolf-whistled to get his point across, which made Nico's blush return.

"Shut up." Nico ordered, fidgeting with his hands.

"No seriously Nico, you look hot. If I was into dudes, I'd definitely want to give you my number." Nico rolled his eyes, throwing a wadded-up piece of paper at the blonde boy.

He grabbed his watch off his desk, remembering that he had taken it off for his shower. Noticing the time, he swallowed hard, his heart skipping several beats; 5:56.

Almost on cue, Nico heard his phone buzz against the hard wood of his desk.

"**Hello.**" Nico responded tentatively, knowing without looking that it was Will. Part of him was bracing for the punch line…I was just kidding, I'm not coming.

"**Hey you ready?**" The other voice responded, melting away all of Nico's anxiety.

"**Yeah, should I come down?**" Jason waved his arms frantically and mouthed to Nico 'you promised.'

"**Actually, would you wanna come up and…meet my roommate?**"

"**Oh…Sure. It can't be too long though, I wanna watch all the previews.**" Will sounded enthusiastic, and Nico almost laughed. He would be excited to see trailers.

"**Okay, I'll come let you in.**" Nico hung up the phone, placing it in his back pocket. He grabbed his keys and ID, trying to ignore the victory dance Jason was doing to the side.

He nearly sprinted down the stairs and realized he had been holding his breath when he reached the bottom. Will was outside the door, his stupid smile painted on his face. His blonde hair laid shaggily around his ears. He was wearing a denim button down shirt with the first three buttons undone. His jeans were cuffed at the hem, and he had on loafers. Nico rolled his eyes, it was truly unbelievable that Will managed to look like an Abercrombie model constantly.

Opening the door, he moved aside for Will to step through. Once inside, Will leaned in for a kiss. It was short and sweet like their kiss the day before, but it left Nico starry-eyed all the same.

"Wow. I mean just…." The blonde paused, eyeing Nico's sweater. "Wow." He pulled the shorter boy in for another kiss, this one a little hungrier. When his lips left, there was almost an unspoken promise for more.

"So…um…Jason's upstairs, so we should…go up there." Nico stuttered out, trying to regain his composure.

"Oh yeah." Will responded, not breaking his eye contact with Nico. "Well lead the way." Nico nodded in response, heading up the stairs to their left. They were quiet on the walk up, but in a content and comfortable way.

"Just a warning, Jason is…. A lot." That seemed like the best description for his best friend. Both physically and personality wise, Jason was indeed a lot. He put his key in the door and unlocked it, opening it. Jason, of course, was waiting at the threshold to greet them.

"Hello, I'm Jason. You must be the mystery man. Nico has told me not enough about you." Jason held out his hand, and Will shook it. He glanced over at Nico, raising his eyebrow and mouthing 'mystery man?'

"Hi Jason, I'm Will. I think Nico's actually the more mysterious one, so I would love for you to tell me more than enough about him." Will placed his hand around Nico's side, pulling him closer.

"We will definitely have to talk more at some point, but for now, we're gonna be late for our movie if we don't leave soon." He pulled out his phone and unlocked it, handing it to Jason.

"Why don't you give me your number and we can talk more." Will and Jason both laughed at the panic in Nico's eyes. Will grabbed Nico's hand and gave it a calming squeeze.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't tell me anything too embarrassing." Nico did seem to calm a little, but he still hurried them along.

"Well don't want to be late right?" He insisted, tightening his grip on Will's hand and heading down the hallway. Both Jason and Will laughed, and Will shouted goodbye.

"Its just in case of emergencies Nico. No need to worry." Will's smile melted Nico again, and he couldn't help but smile back. Will drove an older Honda that looked pretty well taken care of. It was neat overall, with just a few assorted bags and props in his backseat. He noticed the frisbee that hit him and smiled.

"Lets go." He stated, confidently, smiling to himself with pride. This was going to be the best night ever.


	8. Dinner and A Movie

Will's taste in music was the first thing Nico noticed during their drive. Nico raised a suspicious eyebrow when _Friday Forever_ by Trophy Eyes played. He noticed red slowly rising up the blonde's neck invading into his cheeks.

"I…" Will cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed. "I started listening to them. They're pretty good." Nico could feel his own face starting to heat and decided to watch the scenery pass rather than offer a response. When the song ended, it faded into a Ramones song, and Nico couldn't help but laugh.

It was a full-bodied laugh, which seemed to startle Will. The blonde's eyes widened as he kept his gaze firmly locked on the road. "What's so funny?" Will asked, the insecurity clear in his voice.

"You're just so fucking cute." Nico responded, almost delirious from his laughter. Will joined him, using his free hand to shove Nico's shoulder.

"It seemed important to you." Will responded after the laughter died down. "Plus, I needed some new music to listen to." Despite the levity of their conversation, Nico could still detect elements of the blush on the other boy's skin.

Nico didn't respond, only reaching over to unplug Will's phone and replace it with his own. Pulling up his Spotify, he scrolled through his most recent songs, finding the newest playlist in his collection. The soft guitar of one of Passenger's songs began to play, and Will looked like he had been hit by a truck.

Staring absent-mindedly out the window, Nico began to sing along softly to the lyrics. The song, _Hearts on Fire_, had been one of his favorite songs of the bunch. He had sincerely liked the musician and had been listening to his songs ever since their first date.

He was disturbed from his window-staring when he felt Will's hand grip his own. Nico snapped his eyes to Will's face, but Will had his eyes fixed on the road. There was, however, a goofy grin plastered on his face, which Nico was sure mimicked his own. They allowed the music to drown them, sitting in a companionable silence as the next song faded in.

This closeness was somehow everything and not enough. The warmth of Will's hand intertwined with Nico's was a feeling he never wanted to let go of. Time seemed to halt and speed up all the same. His heart beat rapidly, and both their faces were red, although Will's blush was more obvious thanks to Nico's olive skin tone. A few more songs played before Will took his hand back. Nico was about to protest before realizing that they had pulled into a parking spot. The neon lights of the Palace Theater hit Will in a beautiful almost Instagram-filter kind of way.

The moment they were parked, the blonde man placed his hand against Nico's face, cupping his chin and bringing it towards him. Their lips met gently, and there was a longing there. It was quick and sweet, but it left Nico too soon and hungry for more. The car doors clicked as Will unlocked, and both boys exited the vehicle. Will gestured to the pizza place next door, and Nico followed quietly.

"So, you liked Passenger's stuff?" Will offered, breaking them from the silence of the past few minutes. He reached out and opened the door to the pizza joint as he asked, holding it for Nico to pass by him.

"Yeah. I mean he's pretty much cornered the market on sad love ballads, but his lyrics are incredible. That song, _Heart to Love_, the line there's a million stars to see but only one that shines for me. Amazing." Nico blurted out, watching as Will smiled at him. He could tell it was really important to him.

"I'm really glad you like him. His music helped me through a lot last year." Will's smile turned down sadly for a moment, and Nico grabbed his hand in an effort to make him smile happily again.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Nico offered, as the boys walked to the counter to figure out what to order. Will looked at him with an indistinguishable look in his eyes.

"I'll tell you sometime, but not right now. Maybe when you feel okay telling me about Bianca?" It seemed like a fair offer, so Nico squeezed his hand and smiled to let him know that he agreed to the terms.

"Alright so now for the most important question I can ask. No pressure, but this will make or break this date…" Will lead, using humor to lighten the mood. "Pineapple on pizza? Thoughts?"

Nico let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in and laughed. "Pineapple has no place on pizza. Fruit does not belong anywhere near this place."

Will shot him a finger gun salute. "That is the correct answer." He wiped his forehead, faking nervousness. "Good, now we can continue with the rest of the date. My brother loves pineapple pizza and it grosses me out. What do you say to splitting a pie?" Will glanced over the menu, looking at the topping options.

"My go-to is sausage and onion." Nico offered, moving close to Will to consult the menu. "Those cheese fries look amazing!" He added, his stomach grumbling. He hadn't realized how long it had been since his last meal. Will smiled at him, moving towards the counter to place the order.

"Can we have a medium pie, half sausage and onion half pepperoni, an order of cheese fries and…" He paused to turn back to Nico. "Do you want something to drink?"

"A coke." Nico fed him, as Will turned back to the counter. "And two cokes." The man behind the counter ran Will's card and gave them a table tent to identify them when their food was ready. The man filled two cups with their drinks and handed them to Nico as Will put his card back into his wallet. They settled into a nearby 2-person booth, and an awkward feeling overtook them.

"So how was your day?" Will started, putting his straw in his drink and taking a sip. Nico thought about how to respond, figuring out the least embarrassing way to say he'd gone clothes shopping for their date.

"Um well. I went shopping with Jason." Nico choked out, feeling his blush creep up on him. "I realized this morning that I only had one nice shirt and about 800 ratty band tees and assorted black t-shirts." Will laughed, which made Nico looked down in embarrassment.

"Oh no I'm not laughing at you Nico!" Will insisted, grabbing his hand and forcing his eyes up to meet his. "I did the same thing. I went out with my friend Cecil and bought this shirt." He gestured to the denim button down that Nico had admired when he'd first come to pick him up. This seemed to amuse them both and they were laughing. "Alright, now that we've agreed we're both a little nervous still, let the date commence."

Nico agreed, lifting his head and noticing that Will still had his hand. His phone vibrated, and he took his hand back to check it. It was a text from Jason. _Don't forget to get cash for the party. Cover is gonna be $10 if both you and Will stop by._

"Oh I totally forgot!" Nico exclaimed, causing Will to give him a confused look. "Did you want to go to a party with me tonight after the movie?"

Will looked amused, smirking at the smaller boy. "Sorry." He apologized half-heartedly, noticing Nico's glare. "I just didn't expect you to be the party type."

Nico rolled his eyes, putting a straw in his own drink and taking a big sip. "I'm not. I decided that I should live my senior year like a typical college student rather than re-watching Parks and Rec for a fourth time." He noticed Will gearing up for a debate and held up his hand to stop him. "And I will not agree that the Office is better because it's not." Will held his hands up in defeat, but Nico could tell by the mischievous look in his eyes that the debate was far from over.

"Anyway, so party?" He posed, watching Will lean back in the booth in contemplation.

"Yeah. I can't drink because I drove, but I also can't pass up the opportunity to see you going to a college party dressed like a hot trust fund baby."

Nico pretended to take offense, pulling his hand to his chest. He was trying to distract himself from being called hot as well as distract Will from his obvious blush. "My father will hear about this." He imitated, holding his head up in his best attempt at being snooty. Despite his family's wealth, he had always hated the upper-class type.

"Hey that's a pretty good Draco, although you'd have to be significantly more blonde to pull it off. You'd make a pretty hot Harry though." Nico could feel himself melting as Will understood his reference. Although he was becoming suspicious that Will was too perfect.

"Wow, hot and nerdy. You're sure you're real right? I'll be super upset if you turn out to be a robot or a figment of my imagination." Nico eyed will suspiciously, earning a smile from the blonde boy.

"Don't forget athletic and intelligent." He fake boasted, pretending to toss his hair over his shoulder.

"Okay but all jokes aside, do I really look like a trust fund baby?" Nico leaned in, nearly whispering the last phrase. He knew that his outfit was a little more J-crew, okay a lot more J-crew, than he was used to, but looking like a prep was his worst nightmare.

"No, you look amazing. And don't forget the hot part." Will winked at Nico, and the darker-haired boy's mouth hung open as he thought of a response. Luckily, he was saved by the arrival of their dinner. It looked amazing, with steam coming off the top. The cheese fries were nearly overloaded, the edges threatening spillage every second.

"So, rolling back to Harry Potter, what house are you?" Nico asked, making an educated guess that it would be either Hufflepuff or Gryffindor.

"Proud Gryffindor!" He bragged, talking through a handful of cheese fries. They were hot, so he kept opening his mouth to breathe out the hot air and breathe cooler air back in.

"Of course you are." Nico scoffed, grabbing a slice of his side of the pizza and digging in. It was hot, but he had gotten used to eating scalding hot food over the years, so he barely noticed. He had no patience for the wait two minutes instructions on hot pockets.

"Let me guess…" Will began, eyeing him up and down as he dipped back into the cheese fries. "You're definitely a Slytherin." Nico caught his eye, staring him down before both of them burst out laughing.

"I mean what gave me away besides the everything about me?" Nico asked, grabbing a napkin to wipe the grease off his hands.

"You're literally wearing a Slytherin green sweater." Will added, shoving another round of cheese fries into his mouth. They had cooled some, so he didn't burn his mouth that time.

Nico looked down, laughing even more as he noticed that Will was right. He stuck his chin up to show his pride and took another bite of his pizza.

"We should be Draco and Harry for Halloween." Will offered, realizing a second later that Nico had stopped in place after he said that. He quickly swallowed the bite he was eating and took a sip from his drink. "I mean if you'd want to spend Halloween with me. I know it's pretty short notice since Halloween is in two weeks, but…"

Nico could tell Will was on the verge of a ramble session, so he quickly interjected. "Okay, but we'd need to dye our hair. I mean I'm not opposed to bleaching my hair, but for a costume it seems a bit extreme." Will had seemed to relax, his eyes softening as Nico agreed to his invitation.

"My friend Lou Ellen is a hairstylist, maybe she'll have an idea on what temporary hair color we could use. What do you think? Would I be a good brunette?" He blinked his eyes multiple times in a row, which garnered a laugh from Nico.

"As much as I love talking about Harry Potter, and we will be talking more about this later, we should probably scarf down the rest of the food and head over to the theater. I reserved seats online, so we just have to pick them up." Nico agreed, and they hurried to finish their meal. They got the last few slices packed up, but they didn't need a box for the cheese fries because they had eviscerated those.

The two men thanked the employees as they left, heading next door to the ticket window.

"Hello!" Will approached the booth, as the teenage girl inside perked up.

"Hello!" She responded sweetly, batting her eyelashes at Will. Nico couldn't help but frown, looking away so he wouldn't glare at her. "How may I help you?"

Will seemed oblivious to her obviously flirtatious tone and responded, "I have some tickets reserved."

She just kept smiling, leaning closer to him. "What name are they under?"

"Solace." He responded, smiling as he did it. Nico knew he couldn't get mad that the girl assumed they weren't together. She turned and looked through a drawer before returning with two tickets. She took a pen and wrote on the post it under Will's name. Her hand lingered on Will's as she handed them over, which earned another eye roll from Nico. It felt like an eternity before she finally dropped her hand.

When they were walking in, Nico noticed that the thing she had scribbled on the tickets was her phone number. Will tore off the post it and threw it in the trash, but Nico was still upset. He crossed his arms and his frown deepened to a scowl. Of course, she had assumed they wouldn't be together. Will was perfect, and Nico was…. Nico.

"Do you want any snacks?" Will asked, turning to see a pouting Nico.

"Hey whats wrong?" The blue eyes that met Nico's were full of concern, and he could feel his anger melting away.

"I didn't like that girl flirting with you." Nico responded honestly, his shoulders dropping as he waited for Will to yell at him.

"I'm sorry," was the last thing Nico expected to hear. He snapped his head up, as Will looked at him with some pain in his face. "I didn't realize it would bother you so much. It…" He paused, noticeably uncomfortable. "It happens a lot when I go out. I've grown to ignore it, but I forgot you might not like it." He grabbed his hand reassuredly. "Don't worry, I'll be more vigilant next time."

Nico just nodded, smiling with the blonde boy. "I'm pretty full, but I could do with some dessert popcorn and a soda."

Will squeezed his hand once more before setting off to the counter. He returned a minute later with a small tub of popcorn and a single drink. There were two straws, which Nico raised an eyebrow to.

"I didn't know if you'd want to share a straw, so I just got two." Will responded, sheepishly. Nico laughed again. This whole date was so awkward and ridiculous and perfect.

Nico grabbed the drink and Will lead the way to the theater. Offering the tickets to the employee, he ripped them without even looking up and handed them back, gesturing to the right.

"Theater 4, first door on your left."

They moved to the door, Nico holding it open for Will this time. Their seats were pretty nice, middle row and middle seats. He honestly preferred middle seats to seats all the way in the back.

Checking his watch, Nico noted that it was 6:36, so they had probably five to ten minutes before previews started.

"So, back to Harry Potter." Will started, settling in his seat, reclining slightly. "Favorite movie?'

Nico took some time to think, mulling over his options in his head. "Probably either the Chamber of Secrets or the Goblet of Fire. Chamber is definitely truer to the book, but Goblet of Fire Harry is probably my favorite." It wasn't untrue, but he hoped Will wouldn't press him for why.

"Mine is Chamber of Secrets hands-down. So good to hear that you agree. What about favorite character? Mine is Hermione. She was my hero growing up." He seemed excited to hear his response, so Nico prepared himself for the debate they were about to get into.

"Okay so you can't yell at me, but Draco is actually my favorite character." Will's eyes looked to double in size, but he waited patiently for Nico to explain himself. He held his hand out as if to say 'go on then.'

"Well you know Draco and Harry are essentially two-sides of the same coin. Both of them are very powerful wizards, both just want to make their parents proud, and both are pawns used in the war. Its just Draco is the golden boy for the wrong side." Will seemed to absorb this, and to his credit, he seemed to actually listen.

"I've never thought of him that way. I guess he is kind of the…I don't know, anti-Harry?" Nico nodded, agreeing that was a pretty good way to describe him. "While your dedication to the villain is interesting, lets move on to a less controversial topic. You mentioned liking Chamber of Secrets because it was closer to the books, so what's your favorite book?"

They continued their Harry Potter discussion until the previews began, cutting Will off in the middle of a rant about the sixth movie. He cut Nico a look saying that he'd finish later, and settled in. Nico did the same, draping his jacket over his legs like a blanket. There was one preview for the next Avengers that Will seemed incredibly excited about, which made Nico smile.

After another few trailers, the lights dimmed totally, and the opening credits started. Will put the middle divider up, and invited Nico to come closer to him. He had never known that they did that, but he also had never had a reason to utilize this specific function before.

Shifting towards the middle, they settled comfortably with Nico's head on Will's chest. He curled slightly into the boy and was grateful for the dark. He let himself relax as the movie began, wondering what in his life he'd done to deserve this.


	9. A Choice

The lights came back on after the movie, and Nico stretched; having spent the past two hours in the same position curled up against Will. Some movement caught his eye and he looked over to find Will wiping his face. His blue eyes were tinged red, and his face was covered in pinkish blotches.

"I wasn't crying." Will insists, unconvincingly. Nico just smiles and grabs his hand.

"It's okay. I don't blame you. That ending was killer." Nico had to admit that he was super emotional about the movie. The music was amazing, and the characters felt so real.

Will nodded, setting his recliner back to its original position and grabbing the now empty popcorn tub. Nico followed suit, making eye contact with Will as his recliner made that squeaking sound that leather makes when it rubs against itself. It felt like several minutes until he was finally done, and when it was down, the two boys burst out laughing. Standing to meet him, Nico grabbed the empty drink container and they made their way out of the theater.

"Best Picture for sure." Nico opened, throwing away the soda. "What do you think?"

Will seemed to think, stopping in his tracks. "I think that I have to pee super bad." He pointed at the nearby bathroom and kissed Nico on the cheek, making a promise to return quickly. Once Will brought it up, Nico became acutely aware of how much he had to pee. He decided to wait until Will got back; he wasn't sure if it would be weird if he went in at the same time. There were so many things he was still unsure of. There wasn't exactly a How to Be in a Gay Relationship for Dummies. Although he was starting to think he might make some good money if he wrote one; of course, that would mean he had any clue what he was doing.

He looked at his watch while Will was in the bathroom, noting that the move and previews had lasted a little less than three hours. He walked over to the ATM nearby and got out some cash for the cover. The last party he had been to was one that Connor had hosted at the beginning of the semester for all his friends whose birthdays had been during the break. Percy and Jason both had summer birthdays, so he had felt obligated to go since the party would technically have been for them.

Nico frowned as he thought back on that fateful Saturday. He had fiercely overestimated his ability to drink tequila and passed out an hour into the party. Jason had to carry him back to their dorm. His cheeks burned hot as he hoped that no one would remember his embarrassing show from the last party.

He was spooked from his thoughts by hands wrapping around his waist. Will's stubble tickled the side of Nico's face as he leant down. "Ready to go party?" He asked, kissing Nico's cheek before pulling away. The tension in Nico's shoulders began to melt as he looked around and saw that no one was staring at the public display of affection. The ATM made a whirring noise, and a crisp $20 popped out. "Now we're ready."

They started walking to the entrance before Nico frowned, turning on his heels. "I actually should probably go to the bathroom before we head out. From my fuzzy memories of the last party my friends held, I do not want to be anywhere near that bathroom." A shiver ran down his spine just thinking about how disgusting the Stoll Brother's toilet would be. Will laughed, and said he'd wait on the bench that Nico had sat on.

When he returned, Will was on the phone, but he popped up to walk with Nico to the car.

"**Yeah, no it was a really good movie."** Will's face turned bright red as the person he was talking to responded. Nico was curious who had elicited such a response from the blonde boy.

"**No Mom. I definitely did spend my time watching the film." ** He brought his hands up to his eyes, attempting to hide his embarrassment. **"I can't talk now. I love you. Gotta go bye."**

Will took a deep breath, trying to flatten his shirt and recover from his conversation. "So, my Mom says hi." He joked, holding the door open for his shorter companion. Nico couldn't help but laugh at that. From the context clues of the portion that he had heard, Will's mom was more than a little invested in her son's love life.

Nico had mercy on Will and decided to not make a snarky reply, instead grabbing his hand and squeezing it lightly. "Well next time you talk to her, say hi back." His tone was cheery, but he couldn't help but add in a little sarcasm to his tone. He was no saint after all.

"So we could go to the party now…" There was a mischievousness in Will's tone that caused Nico to raise an eyebrow. He grabbed Nico's waist with his free hand, pulling the boy close. "Or we can be fashionably late and find something else to occupy our time until then." His heart was jumping out of his chest as he realized the implications of Will's offer.

"I…" Nico started, willing himself to take a calming breath. "I definitely do want to do…that, but I just wanted to lay down the groundwork beforehand." He looked away, unable to say the next set of words while looking in Will's astonishingly deep blue eyes. "I'm a virgin and I've never really…I mean obviously because of you know, the whole being a virgin thing…umm I guess I just wanted to make sure you're okay with taking it slow." Heat rose to his face, and he swore he could hear his heart beating as he waited for Will to respond.

Will just laughed, pulling Nico into a tight hug, nearly lifting his feat off the ground in the process. "We can go as slow or as fast as you are comfortable with. I know I'm older, but that doesn't mean I'm any more experienced beyond a few rogue make out sessions. Now what do you say about a good old-fashioned car make out?"

Nico nodded his head, going up on his tiptoes to bring his lips to Will's. He expressed his gratitude quickly, breaking away towards the car. Will jogged after him, the eagerness visible in both of their bodies.

Will fumbled in his pocket for his keys, unlocking the car and quickly opening the back door for Nico to get in. Following close behind, they failed to notice how small the space was, or they failed to care. Will connected them, grabbing the collar of Nico's sweater and drawing him in. Nico smelled like cinnamon and something else…maybe oak? It was a subtle musk, and Will couldn't take it in fast enough. Will however, smelled like salt water and something vaguely medical, iodine or rubbing alcohol Nico figured.

Nico wrapped his arms around Will's back, getting rid of any space between them. Will paused for a moment, removing his lips from Nico's. His breath was staggered, like he was drowning and had just come up for air. "As hot as this is…and it is, can we adjust? I think I'm a little too cramped like this." Nico simply nodded in reply, sitting up. As much as he hated the disruption, he had to admit that the position they'd been in had been rather uncomfortable. His back groaned with the motion but sitting would help with comfort.

"That's what you get for being freakishly tall." Nico teased, gently running his fingers through Will's hair. That earned him a satisfied smirk from the blonde. Will melted into Nico's embrace, attaching his lips to Nico's neck, tracing a line of kisses back up to his mouth.

"Are you sure you've never done this before?" Will mused in between kisses. "You are certainly very good at it." He groaned as Nico tugged on his hair, pulling him closer still.

"I'm doing my best." Nico pulled his lips into a devilish smirk. He had never felt more alive. Disentangling himself, he decided it might be time to come up for air. "We should probably head out soon." Nico resigned, running his fingers through his hair to attempt to tame his locks. Will had a crazed look in his eyes as he seemed to plead for them to continue. His breath came shallow and quick, which was appropriate as he had just come up for air after spending his previous few minutes otherwise occupied.

A protest died on his lips as he realized Nico was right. Looking at his watch, it was already almost 10 and they would soon be bordering on obnoxiously late. Will placed his hand gently on Nico's face, curling his fingers to cup the darker boy's chin. One last kiss seemed like a promise, there was a fondness behind it that made Nico feel at peace.

The two boys got out of the car, looking in the reflective windows of the movie theatre to see if they looked acceptable. Nico had to admit that his hair looked as best it could considering it had a combination of hair gel and hairspray keeping it together. Will still looked perfect, in fact Nico's ruffling had somehow made his hair look even sexier.

Once they decided they both looked decent enough to be seen by others, they got back into the car. Nico plugged his phone in to charge and put on his pop punk playlist. Passenger was great, but he was certainly not the kind of artist you pregame a party to.

"So where to?" Will asked, adjusting his side mirror as Nico looked up the address.

"119 Ithaca Lane." Nico stated, opening a new snapchat from Jason. He quickly responded to the snap with a pic of him smiling with a pizza emoji.

Will stared at him, shock plaguing his features. "Is this a Stoll party?" He asked, pulling his lips tight.

"Yeah, why? You know them?" Nico asked, looking at Will with some concern in his eyes. _Had he done something wrong?_ Nico wondered.

Will seemed conflicted with what to say before a devious smile crept onto his face. "You could say that. Well let's go!" They pulled away, merging back onto the road and heading back towards campus. Nico noticed the suspicious shift in Will's behavior but chose not to say anything.

The ride passed pretty quickly after Will started ranting about how amazing the movie had been. Nico agreed, but Will hadn't given him a chance to respond to any of his claims.

"Bradley Cooper directed it too. Honestly that man is a genius. I mean everything is perfect. I feel like the characters are real people I know." Will took in a breath, suddenly realizing that he had been talking the entire car ride. "Sorry." He mumbled, embarrassed. "I'm just really passionate about movies I like."

Nico just laughed, smiling at him warmly. "No, don't apologize. You're really cute when you're fired up." Aware they were approaching their destination, Nico was on high alert looking for a parking space. He pointed out a street parking spot about a block away and frowned when Will didn't pull into it. Instead, parking in the driveway of the house.

"You can't park here Will. This is for the people who live in the house." Nico insisted, not wanting to be the dick who parked in a claimed spot.

"Hmm. Yeah I guess it is." Will responded cryptically, opening his door to get out. Nico stared after him, dumbfounded.

"Well then are you gonna move it? You can't just park ther…." Nico found himself cut off as Travis greeted them on the porch.

"Dudes! What's up?" He pulled Nico into a very tight and very unwelcome hug. Trying his best not to show how tense he was, Nico just nodded in acknowledgement.

"Will, have you met Nico? He's one of our friends." Nico wasn't sure what confused him more, how friendly Travis was being with Will or that he had called Nico his friend.

"No, I don't think I have." Will lied, smirking at Nico's obvious frown of confusion as it deepened.

"Oh well we gotta fix that. Will this is Nico, Nico this is Will." Travis leaned close, his breath smelling like cheap beer. "He's the new Luke." He whispered, or rather thought he whispered. It was just short of a shout really.

Nico's eyes went wide as he finally put it all together. He had brought Will to a party at his own house. Suddenly he felt his confusion turn to anger. Why hadn't Will told him he lived there when Nico had given him the address. It was innocent enough, but for some reason it was driving him crazy.

"Nice to meet you Will." Nico responded curtly, heading inside to find something alcoholic to drink; preferably something incredibly alcoholic. He shoved his way through the crowd as he moved towards the drink table. Being on a war path seemed to benefit him as by the end, people were moving out of his way. He grabbed a random bottle and a cup and started pouring. He took a sip, hating the way it burned as it went down. When he finally got around to checking what he was drinking, he was satisfied to find that it was some Vodka he'd had before and hadn't minded.

"Hey, what's wrong?" A familiar voice prodded, grabbing Nico's arm. He was relieved when it was Jason and not Will that he found next to him.

"I honestly don't even know." Nico responded honestly, downing the rest of his cup. Jason grabbed his arm, dragging him away from the noise. The darker-haired boy didn't even bother protesting. He knew Jason could carry him if he refused to follow. A door opened, and they found themselves in a pantry, closing the door behind them so they were away from all the prying eyes of the party goers.

"Okay so what's up. I thought you and Will had a good time. You were smiling in your snap." Jason's look of concern broke down Nico's anger and he could feel the tension leave his shoulders.

"Jason, he lives here." Nico began, watching Jason's face as he processed that. Jason was sincerely a good friend because even though there were questions in his expression, he just nodded and let Nico continue. "And when I gave him the address for the party, he didn't tell me. I asked him if he knew the Stolls and he said he did, but he was super vague. It's not even a big deal, but I just can't get this nasty feeling out of my head." Nico hadn't realized he had said that all in one breath until he took in air again. Saying it out loud had helped, but he still didn't understand why this was affecting him so much.

Jason placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it to show his support. "I'm gonna say something Nico, and I don't want you to freak out okay?" He began, waiting for the worry in Nico's eyes to fade to understanding. He nodded slightly, and Jason took this as his cue to move on.

"You're scared Nico." He stated, matter of factly. When he saw Nico start to protest, Jason just held his hand up. "You really like Will and you're afraid to be close to him. Not physically, but emotionally. To know where he lives, to go into his space. He didn't even come into the room earlier and you were on edge about it. You keep everyone at arm's length, so they don't have the power to hurt you. Will inadvertently, and probably not realizing how big a thing it is to you, let you into his private space. You're scared to be here."

Nico swallowed hard as he listened to Jason's words. He wanted to yell, wanted to insist that he wasn't scared, but he knew Jason was right. It was stupid of him, but he had always kept people away. Ever since Bianca, he's never wanted to let anyone close.

"So what do I do?" Nico pleaded, looking at Jason. Jason's friend, normally snarky and confident and mysterious, seemed to shrink into the small boy he had firstly met eleven years prior.

"You face him. You can either let him get close, or you can cut him off; keep him far away from where everything is real. Whichever you decide Nico, I'm here for you." Jason pulled Nico into a tight hug, letting the boy melt into his arms. "But you gotta decide." With that, he walked away, leaving Nico alone with his thoughts.

Nico stared for a long time at the box of pasta in front of him, not really seeing it. Jason was right, there was no doubt in that, but that didn't mean that he was comfortable acknowledging that. He liked Will. He liked Will more than he had liked anyone in his life. This feeling was different than his unrequited crush on Percy. Will was liked the sun, and he resigned that he was Icarus. If he got too close to the sun, his wings would melt, and he would plummet back down to the earth.

That was safer, he decided. Cutting Will off would prevent him from getting hurt in the future, but it was also something that Nico didn't want to think about. He tried to think of what Bianca would do. She was always so sure, so confident.

_Don't be a coward Neeks_. He could almost hear her say, instinctually twisting his ring. Bianca had wanted Nico to make friends, to branch out. That's why she had insisted on going to that stupid summer camp. He groaned as he came to a realization. He had been holding his breath for years, just hoping that if nothing changed, if he didn't love anyone else, that Bianca would stay with him. It felt like he was betraying her, making room in his heart for other people. Maybe it was finally time for him to grow up and realize that letting someone in wasn't the same as letting her go.

"Fuck." Nico swore, opening the door. It was time for him to go make a decision.


	10. Party Hardy

Nico soon realized after leaving the pantry that there were way more people in the house than there had been the last time he had been there. Unsurprisingly, everyone seemed pretty intoxicated, making getting back to the front an interesting obstacle. He slid around a couple making out and trekked back to the drink table. Hugging the wall helped avoid too many drunken interactions, but he was bumped and jostled nonetheless.

A girl he sort of recognized, Silena he thought her name was, waved at him, saluting her drink with her other hand. He gave her a half-hearted smile back and continued. The density of bodies made it so it took him a few minutes to get there, but soon he arrived at the drink table. First, he poured himself a drink. The alcohol burned as it slid down his throat, the fire cutting through his anxiety. Reminding himself to breathe, he closed his eyes and took in a large breath. When he opened his eyes, he looked out on the crowd for Will's tell-tale blonde mop of hair.

Will didn't seem to be in the crowd, at least not the part he could see. He could, however, see Connor heading towards him. "Connor!" Nico called, finding that even when he was yelling his loudest, he could barely hear himself over the music. Luckily, Connor had been looking his direction and caught his eye.

"What's up dude? This is a banging party right?!" Connor screeched, filling up two cups with the jungle juice mixture they had in a tub to the left of where Nico was standing. He knew that that was a rhetorical question, so Nico just nodded politely. Connor's dark hair was pulled into a horrible man-bun, and he was wearing a workout headband to hold his bangs back. He was slightly muscular, more toned than jacked. If Nico hadn't been having an emotional breakdown, he might have noticed how attractive the boy looked.

He leaned into the boy, screaming in his ear. "Have you seen Will? I uh…I lost track of him." Nico hoped that Connor couldn't hear the sadness in his voice.

"Will?" Connor asked for clarification, looking for Nico to nod. "He's in his room, I think. At least that's where I saw him going a while ago. Up the stairs, second right." He held out his drinks to Nico in a salutation and headed back into the thick of the dancing. Nico nodded his thanks, emptying his cup and leaving it on the table. The stairs were around the corner, but he could go through the kitchen rather than the dance floor.

Reaching the pantry again only took a minute or so this time and it was remarkable how much he felt like a salmon swimming up-river. The kitchen was not as crowded, so he could easily just walk through. A staircase appeared to his right, and he took a breath before climbing the first step. It creaked as he stepped along, cutting through the music with its unpleasant noise. He counted the steps as he went up; 16 in total. At the top of the stairs, he saw a narrow hallway with one dim light in the center. Golden light flooded into the hall from a door that was ajar, and Nico took a chance that that must be Will's room. College party decorum meant that no one was upstairs, considering the bathroom was downstairs anyway.

He paused outside the door, rapping his knuckles against the wooden door. "Go away Travis!" Will snarled, responding with a tone of anger Nico had never heard him use. Well Nico had really never seen Will anything near anger.

"Not Travis." Nico stated, opening the door. Will was sitting on his bed, clutching a pillow to his chest.

"Oh…its you. Listen Nico, I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I lived here. I really just thought it'd be a funny surprise." Will's voice trembled as he shot up, standing as he plead with Nico. "I understand that you're upset, and I…" Will was cut off as Nico closed the distance, jumping into Will as their lips connected. They fell back on the bed from the force, as Will recovered from his surprise. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around Nico, drawing him into himself.

Nico rolled them over, so they were both laying on the bed. He pulled away from the kiss, which took all his self-control. Looking into Will's eyes, he knew that he had to tell Will how he felt.

"Will…" Nico began, untangling his limbs from Will's and sitting up. Will followed suit, leaning back against his headboard. "It didn't upset me that you didn't tell me. Its more that it scared me, or rather, you scare me." Will grabbed Nico's hand, playing with it idly as he listened. Nico was glad for the distraction of his touch.

"Liking you scares me, but you liking me back is terrifying. I guess I kind assumed that if I never let people get close to me, then I could never get hurt. I can count on one hand the number of people I have let into my life in a meaningful way in the past decade. Reaching out to you, going on that date to the diner, was the scariest thing I've ever done." Nico smiled at Will, who was avoiding Nico's eyes, staring intently at his hands as he traced the lines of his palm.

"I get it. You scare me too. Or rather how much I like you scares me. I've been on a few dates over the years, had a few hookups, but I've never felt the way I feel around you. Its hard to describe, but when I'm with you I feel…well…I guess different is the best I can come up with right now." Nico used his free hand to force Will's gaze up to meet his.

"Exactly. I feel the same way, and it scares the hell out of me. But I want to keep going, I wasn't prepared for what it meant to let you in, but I am now. If you're in, then so am I. Completely and fully." Will's eyes lit up, and the two men collided, their lips meeting each other with an electricity. There was a hunger in their touches, and no amount of proximity would satiate their need.

After a few lazy minutes of making out, they separated, more out of a desperate need for a full breath rather than a desire to do so.

"So just to be clear…" Will began, brushing Nico's hair out of his face. He frowned as he realized that he had ruined Nico's hair styling. "This does mean that I can say you're my boyfriend, right? Like when you said you're in, you meant like a relationship?"

Nico rolled his eyes, standing up and facing him and taking in this picture. He wanted to memorize this moment and everything about it, how Will's shaggy hair was fluffed from Nico running his finger's through it, the light pink blush that graced the corners of Will's cheeks, the scent of cologne and sweat clinging to the room. "Yeah. Something like that." He responded with a mischievous smile.

It was then that he took in the room for the first time. The walls were a light-yellow color that was faded in some places and completely absent in others. Posters from various movies lined the one wall, Nico recognized a few, and took appreciative note of the map of Middle Earth that seemed to be the focal point. There was an old wooden desk, the top of which was completely covered in open textbooks and loose sheets of lined paper with notes on them. Above the desk hung a dry-erase calendar and a cork board with a bunch of memos on it.

He had a bean bag similar to Jason's near his closet, next to a stack of books. There was no formal bookshelf, so Nico assumed that must be his reading corner. Impressive, he thought to himself, looking at the titles. _1984_ and the fourth Harry Potter book caught his eye, but there were also a bunch of books that he didn't recognize the titles of or hadn't read.

Nico turned around, looking at the focal point of the room. Above Will's bed, there was a decorative wall of photos, ranging from childhood to what Nico assumed to be the current year based on Will's appearance. He paused for a moment on one of the photos, leaning in to take a closer look.

"Is this you and your brothers?" Nico asked, pointing at a worn photo of three young blonde boys. They were each covered in mud and had content goofy grins on their faces. The oldest boy had short cropped blonde hair and was carrying the youngest on his back. He was probably double the size of the boy he was carrying. The youngest boy had long shaggy blonde hair, falling almost to his eyes; which were closed complementing an extremely wide smile. The middle boy stood next to them, a matching grin on his face, but a stiffness in his limbs. His hair was not as short at the eldest's but was still short, slicked to the side with mud. They were all beautiful children, and it made Nico smile to see Will as a happy kid.

"Yeah. Mom was furious, but Dad took this picture. It was one of the first memories I have of playing with my brothers. Lee started middle school not long after this picture, and then he was never really interested in playing anymore. That's the one downside of huge age gaps." Will smiled despite the sad tone of his voice, reminiscing about a likely bittersweet memory.

"How about you come back on a day there isn't a million people in the house, and I'll give you the full tour?" Will offered, pulling Nico towards himself. Nico frowned slightly, having nearly forgotten about the party raging downstairs. Not that he really could forget with the bass pulsing through the floors. He took the tone of Will's voice to heart and swallowed back his disappointment; Will had never pressed him when he didn't want to be pressed, he would do the same.

"Yeah. Well I guess since I asked you to this party, we should probably go to the party." Will nodded, grabbing Nico's hand and heading towards the door. Nico pulled back against him and went up on his toes to give Will one last kiss. Then the two boys left the room, heading down the hallway towards the stairs.

The music from the party hit them as soon as they stepped onto the stairs. It was loud and had a good beat, but Nico didn't know what song it was. Will seemed to, since his eyes lit up when he heard it. "I love this song! Wanna dance?" He asked, not waiting for a response as he ran down the stairs to the dance floor.

Nico grabbed Will's hand, holding on to him for dear life as they pushed their way into the crowd. Briefly, Nico caught Jason's eye and shot him a quick thumbs up. He looked away a second later, returning his focus to not getting separated from Will. The party lights hit Will's features when they stop, highlighting his face with a swath of red light. He wasn't a good dancer, but he seemed not to care. His body was moving to the beat, swaying as the rhythm took over. Nico closed his eyes, feeling the music as he forced himself to move. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was Will, but he didn't feel as self-conscious as he normally did dancing.

After repeating the same cycle of Will knowing songs and Nico just going along with it, a song finally came on that Nico knew. The opening of the song Wannabe by the Spice Girls was iconic, but what Will hadn't expected was Nico singing along loudly to every word. He came alive in a way Will hadn't seen from him before. He stopped dancing, finding it much more interesting to simply watch the dark-haired boy move to the song.

Nico's face was turned up into a smile that Will had never seen. His normally guarded features split, and he could see genuine happiness painted with his body language. In that moment, Will could barely breathe; Nico was absolutely beautiful. Will was broken out of his stunned appreciation by Nico pointed to him during a lyric. Accepting the call to dance with him, Will closed the distance that had grown between them when he had stop moving to the music. He imitated Nico's movements, throwing his hands in the air and smiling.

When Nico finished the song with a shoulder shimmy, Will couldn't help but laugh. He thought to himself for a moment, _This guy is gonna be the death of me. I'm so fucked._

The song faded into a new one that Will and Nico both didn't know, so Nico signed to the blonde boy that he wanted to get a drink. Will nodded in acknowledgement and grabbed Nico's hand, guiding them both back to the drink table.

Holding up a handle of Vodka in one hand and Captain Morgan in the other, Will raised a questioning eyebrow. Nico thought for a moment before gesturing to the rum. "Any mixers left?" Nico screamed, hoping that Will had understood him, since he doubted, he could hear him.

Will nodded and poured them both drinks. Nico wasn't sure what Will had mixed it with, but it tasted alright. It might have been coke or it might have been Dr. Pepper; the one thing he was sure of was that there was rum. A lot of rum.

Will took his cup back, using one of the many sharpies on the table to write their names. Nico stuck his tongue out at him as he noticed the skull and cross-bones next to his name. He grabbed Will's cup in retaliation, drawing a little sun wearing sunglasses. The two smiled and laughed, making their way back to the middle of the dance floor, drinks in hand.

Jason was in the middle of the dance floor, doing his best dad on vacation dances, and Nico laughed. "Hey Will!" Jason shouted, barely audible over the music. He held his cup up for a cheers, which Nico and Will both gladly obliged. Jason was a good friend, Nico thought to himself, watching with interest and Will and Jason danced together to a song Nico vaguely recognized from the radio.

His smile grew when the song faded into another, and he recognized the opening frets of Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi. Bon Jovi had been one of his mother's favorite bands when he was young, so hearing their music always made him happy. He let the alcohol and music wash over him, losing all his inhibitions. Here he was, in the middle of a dance floor with his best friend and his boyfriend. Swallowing hard, he realized how proud Bianca would be of him, how much she would have wanted to be here with him in his moment of glory. Without realizing, his fingers began to play with his ring, calming his mind and refocusing him on the music.

Connor appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, with some pretty red-head Nico didn't recognize. Connor held three shots, and the girl held two. It wasn't so much a request as a demand, and Will, Jason and Nico weren't going to refuse. Clinging the eclectic set of shot glasses together, the group took them together. Nico felt it burn as it went down, but he had drunk enough by then that it didn't leave him with a bad taste.

Will was an adorable drunk, Nico noted, taking in the bright flush in the corners of his cheeks. His messy hair was still cute, although his bangs were starting to cling to his face with sweat. The button down he was wearing had now been almost completely unbuttoned, and Will wasn't quite sure if he had done it or if they had undone themselves when he was dancing.

It could have been the alcohol, or it could have been the emotional moment they had earlier, but Nico pounced. In a moment, Nico had his arms wrapped around Will, hungrily meeting his lips. He tasted like happiness and bad decisions, and it was delicious. They stood like that, pressed together in a sense of urgency for what might have been an eternity. Nico pulled back for air, becoming acutely aware of Jason's smirk. "Get a room." He joked, placing his arm around Nico in a show of friendship. Jason seemed to have had quite a bit to drink, but unlike the other blonde, his face didn't betray him.

Nico's faced burned as he took in Jason's words. It was an innocent joke, but he was suddenly very aware that that option was available to him. Suddenly the room got very, very warm; stifling.

The edges of his vision started to blur, and he felt warm in a fuzzy way. The ground felt a little less stable, like he was dancing on a moving cloud; a wisp moving rapidly in the sky. The warmth grew, and he wandered towards the closest wall, finding a brief reprieve from the pulsating crowd. Music overwhelmed his ears, and the lights were suddenly too bright, too hot. His back hit the wall, the hard surface feeling nice and cool against his skin. It was like he was on fire. He wondered for a moment, what it would be like to disappear into the shadows, letting the darkness consume him.

For a moment, he focused all his energy on blending into the darkness, willing his body to become shadows. The last thing he saw was Will approaching before he got his wish and the world went dark around him.


	11. Toast and Cotton T-Shirts

A sharp pain woke Nico from his sleep, squinting as the sun assaulted his eyes. Attempting to sit up ended poorly as his stomach turned. "Woah there!" He heard a voice warn, the sound hitting him like a bullhorn.

"Don't sit up. Doctor's orders." Nico opened his eyes a little more to see Will in front of him. The sun hit the back of his head like he was an angel, and Nico rolled his eyes. He didn't fight him though, laying back down as he took in his surroundings. Will's room had looked different the night before. Nico's eyes widened as it sunk in where he was. Panic filled him as he reached down instinctively to assess himself. The smooth cotton of the shirt he was wearing was comfortable, but definitely not what he had been wearing. The next thing that hit him was the smell. Coconut and musk, so it had to be Will's.

"What happened?" Nico groaned, placing his hand over his eyes and attempting to sit up again. This time he took it slower and he didn't have the feeling of nausea that he'd had a moment ago. His head was pounding, so he was pretty sure that alcohol was involved, but the last thing he remembered was Will's eyes approaching him. Had he been on the floor?

"How much do you remember?" Will asked, coaxing a few Tylenol into Nico's hand. He eyed the dark-haired boy until he swallowed the pills and handed him a glass of water.

"I remember…" Nico paused to consider. What was the last thing that he had a complete memory of? "Oh!" He declared as it came back to him, his face flushing with embarrassment. "Um…the last thing I remember, like fully, was making out with you. And then Jason or someone said get a room. I think…" He tried to remember more, but his brain started pulsing at the effort, so he gave up for now.

"Oh yeah. Well let me fill you in then. I'll grab some breakfast and…well I'll tell you." There was a hesitance in Will's voice that Nico pretended not to hear. The door closed behind him, and Nico laid back down. While Will was gone getting breakfast, he debated with himself what was more important; knowing what happened the night before, or not being embarrassed. Based on Will's reaction, he would most-definitely be embarrassed by whatever he had done. On the other hand, Nico wasn't the type of person to leave chunks of his memories missing.

Eventually, he decided that he needed to know. Sitting up again, he decided to get up. Standing proved to be a little challenging, his balance was more off than he had expected. He couldn't even remember the last time he had been this hungover…had he ever been this hungover? He shook his head and was rewarded with another pounding. His head felt like it could burst at any moment.

The mirror on Will's closet door allowed for Nico to evaluate himself. His hair was a mess, sticking up on the side he had slept on. The shirt he wore was a soft blue color and about two sizes too big. Allowing his gaze to slip down, he was wearing boxer-briefs. His boxers, he noted, thankful that at least those were familiar. A blush crept up on cheeks as he sighed. At least he had worn his nice briefs; at least Will didn't see him in the grungy plaid boxers he normally wore.

"Oh God." He spoke softly, burying his head in his hands. He wanted so desperately to remember what had happened, but it wouldn't come to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his clothes. They were folded nicely on his desk chair, with his shoes next to them on the floor. His pants were wrinkled, as was his button down, but they looked clean; which pretty much guaranteed that he hadn't thrown up.

Will opened the door then, returning with several pieces of toast on a plate and an apple. He was wearing a graphic tee that said Namaste in Bed, which Nico would have found hilarious if he wasn't so mortified that he was in Will's room having clearly blacked out the night before. The taller man handed Nico the plate of toast and bit into the apple.

"Thanks." Nico grumbled, grabbing the piece of toast the blonde boy offered him. He was grateful to have something to eat, realizing just how hungry he was. It would be stupid to eat too much though, since it would probably just make him barf.

"So?" Nico prompted, after he finished his first piece of toast, grabbing a second. His dark-eyes watched as Will eyed the apple and bit into it. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment before sitting on the bed next to Nico.

Will cleared his throat, avoiding Nico's eyes. "Okay well so starting from the get a room comment, here's what happened…"

The Night Before -

"Nico are you okay?" Will asked, approaching the boy. He had pulled back from the dance floor, and finding his back against the wall, had slid down. Will eyed Nico with concern, hurrying to catch him. The crowd was dancing wildly, and Will felt like a salmon swimming against the current.

"Nico." Will called as he approached the wall, the darker-haired boy now dangling his head, his knees curled into his chest. He looked so small, so broken, Will was afraid that if he moved, he might shatter.

He sat next to Nico, putting his arm around his shoulder and pulling him in tight. Nico moved his head to lay comfortably before looking back up at Will. There was something missing from his eyes, and Will wasn't sure he really knew where he was anymore.

"I have something to tell you." Nico said in a voice that Will was sure he thought was a whisper but was actually a shout. "And you can't interrupt because I have to tell you now." He held his hand up with a sense of authority, pointing at Will and pouting.

"Okay. I promise not to interrupt." Will swallowed the confusion in his eyes and nodded softly. He held his hand up, making the motion of crossing his heart. The drunk boy seemed to accept this and turned his body to face the blonde boy face on.

"My sister, Bianca…I'm the reason she's dead." Nico looked up at Will, his eyes full of pain. He said it so matter-of-factly that it took Will by surprise. Nico had mentioned his sister was dead, but to say he caused her death…

"She was looking for me. She was always taking care of me…We were at camp, and I was being an anti-social loser…" Nico laughed darkly, turning his gaze down to stare at his hands. "Guess nothing's really changed." Will reached out, stroking Nico's cheek with his index finger. The dark-haired boy pulled back, and Will withdrew his hand.

"She went to find me, and she died. I had runaway from camp. I was 10, no one wanted to be my friend, she had made friends with some other campers, so I was always alone. Maybe I liked it better that way." He paused to shift his legs, crossing them. "I ran away because I had a stupid crush on Percy, and it scared me. She…" The pain in his voice was so evident that he barely spoke. Will moved his ear next to Nico's mouth to hear him and still he was straining. Nico's eyes stung as tears began to well, and he willed them back.

"She didn't even do anything, I was mad at someone else and I yelled at her and ran as far and as fast as I could. Percy and a few campers volunteered to help her look for me. For a long time, I blamed Percy because if I hadn't had a stupid crush on him then I wouldn't have run away and she wouldn't have chased after me, but its my fault. Its my fault she's dead." Nico collapsed into Will's arms, the tears he had been holding back taking over him. He buried his face in Will's chest, as the blonde boy stroked his hair.

"Its okay. You're okay Nico. I'm here, you're safe." Will cooed into Nico's ear, hoping that Nico could hear him. He wasn't sure why Nico had needed to tell him this, but it seemed like he had a lot of unresolved issues pertaining to it. Jason wandered over, but Will shooed him away, not wanting to give Nico anything else to overwhelm him.

"Nico, not that I'm upset about it, but why did you tell me now. When you talked about Bianca on our first date, you said then wasn't the right time, so why is it now?" Will knew something had caused this little breakdown, and he was trying desperately to figure it out.

"I didn't tell you because I wanted you to like me. But now I need to tell you because you should hate me. You needed to know what kind of monster I am. No one as good as you should waste their time on a monster. I don't deserve you. You should leave." One look at Nico's face and Will could tell that he meant every word. He truly believed that he was horrible and that it would scare Will away.

"You're not a monster Nico." Will spoke, making Nico look at him to see the sincerity of his words. "You're not a monster and I'm not gonna leave you." It made sense, in a way, Nico was always so guarded. Earlier he had said he was guarded because he didn't want to let go of his sister, but now Nico understood that there was more to it. If he let himself love than he had to accept that Bianca's death was not his fault. It was easier probably, to hate himself for causing her death rather than dealing with the tragedy of the fact that it was just an accident.

He always wondered what Nico was thinking behind his dark brooding eyes. It was hard to think that these were the kinds of thoughts he was having. Will recalled what had caused Nico to run away…a crush on Percy. That was one of Nico's close friends, Will thought. Suddenly it made more and more sense why this breakdown had happened when it did. The last time Nico had liked someone, his sister had died. Will found himself hugging Nico tighter. "I'm not going to leave you." He repeated, feeling Nico heave beneath his embrace as he sobbed. They sat there for at least half an hour, by which time the party was pretty much dying down.

"Nico?" Will brokered the courage to break the silence after Nico had stilled beneath him. There was no response, and he broke them apart only slightly to look at Nico's face. He was asleep, with dried tears streaking his face. Even in his sleep he was frowning, which caused Will to frown himself. Delicately, he removed Nico from himself, scooping him up in his arms. Nico was actually heavier than Will expected him to be, especially since during their talk he had look so vulnerable and so small.

Will managed to get Nico up to his room and put him on the bed. Nico's sweater was covered in snot, so he decided to get the boy out of his clothes and into fresh ones. Rummaging quickly through his drawers, Will pulled out a comfy blue t-shirt. He knew it would be too big, but he figured everything would be too big. "Nico, I'm gonna put you in some pjs. Can you lift your arms over your head for me?" There was only a gurgle in response, but Nico slowly raised his arms.

The sweater was a bit snug, so it took him a minute, but eventually it came off. The button-down underneath was easy enough to undo. Will worked quickly, his precise fingers finding no resistance in the small white buttons. When he removed the under-shirt, he stared for a moment at Nico. His skin was reflecting in the moonlight, and he couldn't help but let his eyes wander. His right arm was decorated very delicately with a half sleeve of tattoos. He didn't know Nico had tattoos, the other boy had never mentioned it.

There was a delicate skull made of flowers at the joint of his shoulder, surrounded by a beautiful field of strawberries. Towards the bottom of his bicep, there was a bird carrying an olive branch. There was only one spot on his arm that was glaringly empty, a circle of pale olive-toned skin in a sea of colorful inks. The art was beautiful, and Will spent another moment studying it before he realized that it must be private. If Nico had wanted Will to know about them, he would have told him. He sucked in a sharp breath, a chill causing him to shiver.

Nico shivered as well, and Will grabbed the cotton shirt, pulling it over Nico's head. Nico accepted the new fabric, quickly fumbling his way out of his pants and crawling under the covers. Will was going to leave his pants on, so he was rather frazzled when Nico started removing them. _It made sense_, Will thought, _I don't think sleeping in khakis would be very comfortable_.

He tucked Nico in to his bed, grabbing a spare pillow from next to Nico and a blanket from his closet. Settling down onto a makeshift bed on the floor, he called to Nico, "Goodnight." There was no response, the boy having fallen asleep almost immediately after crawling under the covers. Will doubted he would remember this all in the morning, and he spent some time thinking about what he would say. An uneasy sleep found him soon after that.

Present Time -

"Oh." Nico replied after Will finished recounting his story. He had expected a declaration of love or an embarrassing dance off; anything but that really. "I guess I owe you an explanation." Nico began, taking a long sip from his glass of water. His throat was so dry.

"You don't owe me anything Nico." Will responded, noticing that Nico was avoiding eye contact.

"Yes, I do. You shouldn't have had to deal with that…I well firstly I'm sorry. It really was not the time for me to tell you about Bianca. I promise, I understand that her death was not my fault, but sometimes when I'm drunk or vulnerable, I have these invasive thoughts. I was really bad last year, Jason had to threaten to tell my dad before I went and got help." He stared at the toast in his hands, bringing it up to his mouth to nibble on. "I…I didn't want you to see how broken I am."

Will went to interrupt but decided against it. He had to let Nico say his piece, or he was afraid he would never open up to him again.

"Get a room was my trigger." Nico spoke quietly, finally dragging his gaze up to meet Will's. "That day, the day Bianca died, I had been hanging out with Percy and someone had shouted for us to get a room. Bianca had come to my defense and I yelled at her. I shouldn't have run, but that's how I dealt with all my problems when I was young. It wasn't the first time that I had run away; she always came after me."

"So that's what started your fight with Bianca, and then when Jason said it, you panicked?" Will reiterated, carefully watching Nico for an acknowledgement. The dark-haired boy nodded, turning his eyes back to his breakfast.

"I shouldn't have reacted that way."

"To Bianca on that day or to Jason last night?" Will responded, calling out the ambiguity of his last statement.

"Both I guess. There's a part of me that is always going to always blame myself. My therapist always talked about finding closure somehow, but I haven't been able to." Nico sighed, leaning his head on Will's shoulder.

"Nico…you know I'm not gonna leave you because you have some mental health issues, right? And having those issues doesn't mean you're broken." Will prodded, wrapping his arm around Nico's shoulder.

"I had hoped you wouldn't, but I couldn't know for sure. Will I really appreciate you taking care of me and listening to me and…" Will cut him off, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Don't let anyone see that you're broken…don't let anyone in." Will sang, watching Nico's face light up in recognition. "You really have been listening to Trophy Eyes." He smiled, glad to have eased some of the tension in the room. "That song is one of my favorites, and I guess now you know why." His soft chuckle was a welcome break from the sadness that had been in his voice.

"How does your head feel?" The blonde boy asked, getting up to throw away his apple. Nico looked at him before smiling more. "I guess it's better, the Tylenol must have helped." Will nodded at that.

Nico stood, grabbing his pants from the desk chair and pulling them on. "Thanks again for letting me borrow your shirt." He spoke, pulling it over his head and offering it to Will. The taller boy swallowed hard, forcing his eyes away from Nico's chest. "You can keep it." Will offered, softening a bit as he spoke. "It looks good on you." A light blush flirted its way onto Will's cheeks, and he let out a breath he had been holding as Nico pulled the shirt back on. There was something deeply attractive about Nico wearing his shirt, and he couldn't decide if it was better for him to be wearing Will's shirt or not wearing a shirt at all.

"Thanks…I can wash it and give it back to you." Nico offered, tucking the front of the shirt into the waistband of his pants.

"You don't have to. That's what boyfriends are for, so you can steal all my clothes." They both smiled at the label, and Nico grabbed Will's hand, rubbing it with his thumb.

"What plans do you have for today?" Nico asked, sitting in the desk chair and pulling on his shoes. Will's eyes glanced over to his calendar before sliding back to his own.

"I've got a lab due on Monday and a test on Thursday so I should probably study for those." He looked guilty for a moment before shifting uncomfortably. "Not that I don't want to spend time with you, but I'm kinda behind."

The implication of Will's words hit Nico. He had gotten behind because of him. He probably didn't have that much spare time in medical school, and he had spent a bunch of it with Nico this past week.

"You don't have to worry Will, I want you to do well in school. If you need to prioritize some assignments that's fine. The last thing I would want is you jeopardizing your future because I want to hog you." He snaked his arms around Will's waist, rising on his tip toes to plant a sweet kiss on Will's lips. Will's body protested when Nico tried to pull apart, his arms wrapping around Nico to trap him.

"What if I want to be hogged?" He teased, earning a smile from the dark-haired boy.

"Aren't you supposed to be the responsible one?" Nico replied, mocking him.

"Yeah probably." He teased back, closing the distance between them once again. They broke apart a few seconds later, leaving it at that. "I'll drive you home." Will offered, grabbing a coat from his closet.

Nico nodded sadly, he didn't want to go, but he also didn't want Will to fall behind. He went to put his sweater back on, but Will stopped him, handing him a sweatshirt instead.

"Here, your sweater has a bunch of snot on it." Nico pulled the sweatshirt over his head. It was from the Olympus Medical School, and it was laughably long on Nico. Will was almost a foot taller than him and it was never more evident than now. It was so soft, and it had that distinct smell of Will's cologne. He smiled up at Will, thanking him for it.

"Come on then." Nico prodded, grabbing his sweater and button-down. When they went downstairs, Nico laughed at Travis sleeping on the couch. He had no shirt on, and something very lewd drawn on his face. He was gonna be pissed when he woke up. Connor walked out of the kitchen, eating cereal out of a mixing bowl. He raised a questioning eyebrow but didn't say anything. Nico's face burned as he realized what it must look like, and he picked up his pace walking out the front door.

"He thinks I'm doing the walk of shame!" Nico groaned, opening the door to Will's car and slamming it shut behind him.

"To be fair…" Will began, laughing as Nico glared at him. "Alright yes, it's very rude of him to think that. Want me to beat him up? Defend your honor?"

"That would be a start yes." Nico responded matter-of-factly, crossing his arms and pouting. He couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous he sounded. The quick trip to his dorm was quiet but comfortable as he put the hood up on Will's sweatshirt.

"Hey Will, can you do me one more favor?" Nico asked, covering his eyes with his hands.

"Anything death boy." Will cooed, appreciating the groan in response to his nickname for Nico.

"Can you turn off the sun?" Nico prompted, ignoring Will's jab. The Tylenol had helped with his headache, but the light from the sun was absolutely killing him.

"Sadly, that is not in my wheelhouse. Take it up with my father." He laughed at his own joke, placing a comforting hand on Nico's head.

"Just because your father's last name is Apollo doesn't lead me to believe that he has any control over the sun." Nico sighed loudly, pulling the drawstring on the hoodie tight to cover his face. The darkness helped his head not hurt as much. He felt the car come to a stop and figured they must have arrived. Gathering his belongings in his hands, he kissed Will goodbye.

"Study break for lunch?" He posed, looking into Will's blue eyes as he asked.

"If I get enough of my report done then yeah!" It wasn't a rejection outright, just a reminder of why they were separating in the first place. Nico nodded in acknowledgement, opening the door and getting out. Will waited for Nico to pull his id out of his wallet and enter the building before leaving. He swallowed when he was inside, knowing that Jason would be waiting for an explanation.

"I can't delay the inevitable forever." He reminded himself out-loud, making his way up the stairs, preparing himself for Jason's inquisition. Suddenly he was reminded of the way Will's face had lit up in the morning sun, and he felt like he could conquer the world. He pushed his key in the door and turned it, moving slowly into the fate that awaited him.


	12. Saturdays are for the Boys Part 1

Nico was incredibly lucky to find his room empty when he turned the door. "Jason must be jogging." He thought out loud, letting out a breath of relief. As much as he had really needed that talk with Will, he wasn't very excited about having to relate it to Jason. Plus, he was pretty sure Jason would blame himself for Nico's…breakdown the night before.

Changing would probably be a good idea, but he found himself hesitating. Pulling the hoodie over his head, his fingers wrapped around the hem of the shirt. Will's shirt was way too big on him, resulting in the soft fabric hitting his hips. The smell of Will clung to the cotton, which Nico found intoxicating. He would never take it off if he could help it, but he begrudgingly decided that he definitely needed a shower.

He grabbed his toiletry kit from its place next to his desk, and a towel that he thought was probably clean. When he opened the door, he nearly ran face-first into Jason's chest. Nico held up his hands in a defensive pose, "I promise to tell you about it, but let me clean up first." Jason considered him for a moment before frowning and moving to the side to let Nico through.

Nico appreciated Jason letting him by and turned to face him. "Thanks J. I'll make sure to tell you everything as soon as I don't feel gross anymore." Jason just nodded at him, but he could tell the corners of his lips had turned up into a half-smile.

The walk to the bathroom was short, and luckily there was no one really awake this early on a Saturday morning. The bathroom itself was not crowded, with only two or three other boys in there. Of course, just by Nico's luck, Octavian had to be one of them. "Oh Nico. Have a good time last night?"

The mocking tone in Octavian's voice washed over Nico as he ignored him outright. He only made it a few steps before the annoying boy's voice rose up again, "You and your boyfriend?" Nico could almost hear the evil, smug smirk on Octavian's face, and he couldn't help but turn to face the boy.

"Yeah. Me and my boyfriend. What about him?" Nico wasn't very tall, and his muscles weren't very defined, but his glare was notorious. There was a reason he was called the Skeleton King at camp. Octavian backed away from Nico only a small step before regaining his composure, using his height to physically overshadow the smaller boy.

"Nothing." Octavian presented, the tone of his voice and the upturn of his mouth leading Nico to determine something else was going on there. "Just find it interesting. Didn't know you were…well that way." The smile that played on his face now was one of antagonistic curiosity. He was baiting Nico and Nico was falling for it. He curled his fingers into a fist, digging his nails into his palm. Biting back his anger, he straightened his back.

"Yeah. Didn't really think you'd care. Well gotta shower now. See you around." It took every ounce of Nico's self-control to leave him there, to not punch him in his smug face, but he knew that in a fight with Octavian, he would lose. Not to say that he hadn't dreamed about it; it would be so satisfying to force his wicked grin off his face.

Octavian didn't protest, instead laughing as Nico walked away. He made sure his shower was quick, letting the cold-water splash against him to bring him back to his senses. That stupid boy knew exactly how to get a rise out of anybody. Nico had almost always been immune to his attempts, but now he had ammunition that he knew Nico couldn't dodge. The water was turned off as soon as he could manage, grabbing his towel and wrapping it around his waist.

He shook his hair out, running his hands through its length and letting it drip down his back. Thinking back on the night before, he knew he was going to need to brush it thoroughly to make sure all the gel and hairspray came out.

Brushing his teeth made him feel much better, after he realized that he hadn't brushed them the night before. Overall, he felt a lot better after his session of personal hygiene. He put some deodorant on and grabbed his clothes, realizing that he had forgotten to grab a new set. Groaning, he put a firm, secure hold on his towel around his waist and began to walk as fast as he could back to his room.

He arrived, unscathed, to find Jason in his bean bag chair, playing Call of Duty and sulking. "Uh J, could you…" Nico tried to swallow his embarrassment, but the words caught in his throat. Jason eyed him for a second before realizing what he was asking. "Oh yeah. I'll stand outside. Just knock when you're done."

He stood, avoiding Nico's eye. It wasn't that Jason would've cared, but he knew Nico cared so he avoided it. Nico didn't tell him enough how good of a friend he was. When the door was shut, Nico quickly pulled on a clean pair of boxers and some joggers. He also grabbed a random t-shirt from his drawer. The final touch was Will's way-too-big sweatshirt. He began to run his fingers through his hair before realizing that Jason was still waiting for him. Knuckles rapped quickly on the door to signify that he was done, and Jason slip back into the room, resuming his position in his bean bag chair.

The difference was that this time, Jason didn't start his game, instead making fierce eye contact with Nico. Background music from the pause screen of Call of Duty played quietly in the background, and Nico ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

"So what do you want to know?" Nico started, grabbing the chair from his desk and turning it so he could sit facing his roommate.

"Well for starters, what happened? You were fine and dancing one second and then the next you look like you're about to puke. I know it wasn't the liquor because no matter how drunk I've seen you you've never once hurled." It wasn't so much an accusation as a plea. Jason really didn't understand what had happened, and he had probably been worrying about it the whole night. The bags under his eyes and paleness to his face led Nico to believe that he hadn't slept much.

"You're right, it wasn't just the liquor. I…well when you said…I heard something that triggered my Bianca memories. I heard it and then it was like every bad thought I've had since she died attacked me at once. I told Will." His eyes darted away from Jason, knowing the guilt his friend must feel. He hadn't explicated stated what the words had been, but Jason wasn't stupid, and the hurt in his eyes led Nico to believe he had figured it out.

"Shit Neeks…I'm so sorry." He stood, wrapping his friend in a tight hug. The way the two were positioned made it awkward, but Nico reciprocated none-the-less. Jason had been a really good friend to him, and he knew his stunt last night must have terrified him.

"Its not your fault. Honestly it was probably one of the seven shots I did." A laugh escaped from his lips, but it was half-hearted. This earned a shoulder squeeze from Jason who then returned to his bean bag.

"The things I said to Will…I told him that I was a monster and that Bianca's death was my fault." Nico held up a hand to warn Jason not to interrupt. He needed to say this, and he didn't need Jason reminding him that it wasn't true. "Yes, I know, it wasn't my fault. Marty really punched that through to me, don't worry." The blonde boy seemed to deflate, a smirk playing around the corner of his lips.

"Anyway, I don't even remember having this conversation. He filled me in when I woke up. Man was that fucking surreal though. I woke up in his bed wearing his shirt and boxers. I was freaking the fuck out J." His smile was growing, fondly remembering waking up to Will's smiling face.

"And?" Jason asked expectantly, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Oh…no…nothing like that." Nico cleared his throat to get rid of the awkward coating those words had been wrapped in. "He was a real gentleman, slept on the floor and everything." He had to laugh at that, realizing how ridiculous he sounded.

"Wow really? I didn't get a chance to tell you yet Neeks, but I really like this guy. I've got a good feeling about him and from what I've seen, he's just really good for you." He shot Nico a full-hearted smile, the tension that had existed between them dissipating as the two smiled.

"He even made me breakfast this morning." Nico offered, not missing the mischievous gleam in Jason's eyes.

"I've just realized Nico, you, as far as I'm aware, have never had any…encounters before. Do you need me and Percy to give you the birds and the bees talk?" He was barely containing his laughter, earning a playful glare from the shorter boy. He grabbed the closest thing to him and lobbed it at Jason's head. It was just a balled-up shirt, but the blonde flinched like he'd been assaulted.

"Look I'm pretty sure that I can figure it out myself. Or I'm sure that Will can show me." The innocent look on Nico's face soon turned into a devilish smirk. Jason threw the shirt back at him, laughter in his eyes.

"Yeah I'm sure Will would love to do that." Jason deployed one of his signature eyebrow wiggles which just made Nico laugh harder. "Well let it be stated for the record that I approve."

Nico smiled back in appreciation; he didn't let many people into his life, so it was really important to him that his friends like him.

"I was thinking Neeks, we haven't hung out you, me and Percy in a while. Why don't we shoot him a text and see if he's up to lunch?" Nico bit his lip as he considered. He hadn't really hung out with Percy since Tuesday, and Will would probably be busy with his report anyway.

"Yeah that sounds great! I'll give him a call." He took out his phone, shooting Will a quick text about his change of plans before dialing up Percy's number. Jason stood in front of him so he could join the conversation. When Percy picked up, he put him on speaker.

"**Yo, yo! You're alive then? Haven't really heard from you in days besides your streak snaps. What's up?"**

"**Hey Perce, you're on speaker with me and Jason."**

"**Oh J's there too? You know you can call me yourself you gargantuan dick. At least Nico pretends to keep in contact with me."**

"**That's really not fair Perce. You know I'm super bad at communication. Piper is up my ass about it enough. Besides aren't you busy being a housewife or something."**

"**Hey that's stay-at-home dad to you."**

"**You're not a father." **Nico interjected, watching Jason crack a smile at his point.

"**Yes, but I am a daddy." **Both Nico and Jason groaned at the statement, yelling gross into the phone.

"**So, what are you two calling about? More details on Nico's mystery man? Did you know he doesn't have a Facebook? Like what a weirdo."**

"**Hey don't call my boyfriend a weirdo!" **Nico insisted, purposely using his new title.

"**Oh that is a fun development. Your boyfriend huh?" **He could almost hear Percy's evil grin through the phone. Luckily, Jason saved him from having more of that conversation.

"**Anyway, we thought maybe you'd want to get lunch. We could hit up the all you can eat on Rt. 11?" **Jason knew well that Percy would not turn down the opportunity to go to the Buffet.

"**Amazing. Spectacular. Best idea I've heard in years. Annabeth is at some important study session anyway, so I'm totally free. What time were you thinking?"**

Jason studied his watch, calculating how long it would take for him to be ready to go.

"**Maybe 11:30?" **Nico checked the time, that gave them 45 minutes before they had to leave. Plenty of time to absolutely destroy Jason in Call of Duty's gun game.

"**Litty." **Percy responded, earning another groan from Nico. He hated when Percy used slang like that.

"**See you cool cats there. Gotta go get ready, it takes a while to look this good, but someone's gotta do it." **With a laugh, his phone beeped to signify that the call had ended.

"Remind me why we're friends with him again?" Nico posed, catching Jason's eye.

"We like him or some bullshit like that." Jason paused before adding, "Plus he had a car before either of us."

"Why yes. That was it." Nico agreed, grabbing the second controller and sitting in his desk chair. "We have some time to kill. Unless you're scared of defeat."

"Oh, you're on death boy!" Jason responded, plopping back down into his bean bag and positioning himself to face the tv.

The time passed quickly doing this, Nico winning a majority of their games. Jason was way better at the campaign part of the game, but Nico thrived in the close quarters of gun game. His accuracy was insane on some of the more obscure weapons.

"You are the worst, you know that?" Jason bit out as their last game ended. Nico just stuck his chin up in a sign of his superiority.

Jason stretched out, earning a few satisfying cracks from his back before standing and grabbing his coat. "We should probably head out. Don't want Percy getting there before us, he'll pick that awful booth by the fish tank." The two boys laughed at what they knew was a true statement, and they gathered their stuff to head out. Nico pulled his bomber jacket over Will's sweatshirt, ignoring how dumb he probably looked.

"Want me to drive or you?" Jason asked, a smiling nipping at the corners of his lips. Nico just rolled his eyes and hit the boy on the shoulder.

"You know the answer to that is always you. Your car is fucking sick." Jason just laughed, grabbing his keys and opening the door. Nico did a quick once over to make sure he had everything and then followed the blonde boy out. He felt his phone vibrate and smiled when he saw that he had both a text and a snapchat from Will. The text was sweet, _Enjoy your lunch! Wish I was with you instead of doing this report. Anyway, gotta get back to my thrilling life of human anatomy._

He laughed gently, opening the snapchat next. It was a picture of Will's desk with his laptop open and a pile of textbooks. The text read wish you were here, and then there was a bitmoji of Will offering him a bouquet of flowers.

Nico flipped his camera, sending back a shot of Jason's back walking away from him. On the picture, he placed a nice graphic that said Saturdays are for the boys and hit send.

He responded to the text next, _Hope it goes fast. Anatomy is not so bad. Maybe you just need a more hands-on education ;P. _He blushed very slightly at his implication but collected himself easily. After all, Will probably wouldn't even see it for a few hours anyway. He was really dedicated to his work.

Jason determined that it was nice enough out to drive with the windows down, so Nico took out a hair tie and pulled his hair back into a small ponytail. He hated when the wind blew his hair in his face. They argued over music selection for a minute before they mutually agreed to listen to the radio. It was only fair, since then neither of them had a monopoly on the type of music that played.

After a few tries, they landed on a station that was most of the way through _Don't Stop Believing_. The two belted out the last chorus and waited for the songs to change over. Nico shot Jason a victorious look as the next song that played was Panic! At the Disco's _Death of a Bachelor_. Jason went to change the station, but Nico swatted at his hand.

"Blasphemy. I know you're not the biggest fan of Panic, but Brendan Urie was my sexual awakening and it is a law that I have to listen to his music whenever its on." Jason's shoulders slumped as he sighed.

"You can't use having a crush on someone as an excuse to listen to music I don't like. Next thing you know we'll be listening to Percy's mix tape."

"Percy has a mixtape?" Nico prodded, with faux interest.

"You know what I mean asshole!" Jason argued, frowning at the road.

"Alright fine. If you let me listen to Panic, then I won't insist on changing the station every time your country garbage comes on. Deal?" Jason resigned to that offer, holding out his left hand for a quick shake before returning it to the steering wheel.

Nico contentedly sang along to the rest of the song, thriving in his small victory in the car radio wars. It seemed they had the same argument every time they were in a car together, and yet it never got old.

"Oh I forgot to tell you." Nico began, suddenly reminded about old arguments. "You'll never believe the wrong opinion Will holds."

"Does it have to do with your terrible taste in music?" Jason offered, earning a punch in the arm from Nico. "Hey I'm driving!"

"Yeah well that didn't hurt and you know it!" Nico stuck his tongue out before continuing. "No, he thinks the Office is better than Parks and Recreation."

"I have to rescind my approval. Nico you must understand, I don't need that kind of negative energy around me. He'll throw all of my chakras out of balance." That earned a laugh from both of them as they pulled onto the road where the buffet was.

The old shopping plaza looked super run down, with a closed K-Mart that had been abandoned on one end and some dodgy insurance company on the other. Sandwiched in between were a handful of small shops. One was a dry-cleaners, one a book store, and a salon. Smack dab in the middle though was the Holy Grail. Old Country Buffet had a neon sign flaring Open at them as they opened the door. It was decorated with gold statues and art from the far east, but the first thing that hit them was the smell. It smelled like Chinese food, but also had an undersmell of other things like broccoli that had been cooked a little too long and fresh-ish pie.

They had beaten Percy, but only by a few seconds, as he walked in as Jason approached the hostess to ask for a table. He smiled at the taller boy, his black hair falling half-hazardly around his ears. Nico knew he had a lot of information to fill Percy in on, but he also knew that the best way to do that with minimal interrogation was letting him eat first. This was going to be a hell of a lunch.


	13. Saturdays are for the Boys Part 2

It was hard to describe the feeling being with his two best friends provided to Nico. Jason and Percy were his family ever since he had moved out of his dad's house. Hazel kept in contact, but his dad really wasn't the touchy-feely type, so he just checked in every once in a while to make sure Nico hadn't died.

The hostess seated them at a table in the back, much to Percy's chagrin. "I'm just saying, I don't know why you didn't request the booth by the fish tank. You know I love the fish tank!"

"Yes, we do, however we also know that the fish tank booth smells like fishy ass so here is just fine." Jason responded, glancing at the drink menu before eyeing Percy. He was slumping in his chair, pouting like a five-year-old who didn't get the toy they wanted. It was moments like this that brought Nico back to their camp days.

"Oh man, they have that blueberry pie I love!" Percy barked, his mood turning in an instant. Not even a second later he was up and nearly sprinting to the dessert table.

"I guess we should go get food. I don't know how many slices of pie I can watch him eat before I wanna barf." Nico half-joked. While he loved Percy, he was not looking forward to watching the boy eat an entire pie. Jason laughed lightly at his joke, and the two headed to the entrée bar. Nico was always a sampler, he would take a bit of each dish and come back for those he determined he liked. Jason, however, would jump headfirst in, leaving with no less than three full plates of food. Not that Nico could judge him for that, he did work out a shit ton to offset the atrocious amount of food he ate.

They returned to their table victorious, with the first round of food spread out. Percy returned a moment later somehow balancing two entrée plates and three pieces of pie that he had placed on an entrée plate.

"You two are monsters." Nico observed quietly, taking a bite from a dinner roll. Percy beamed at the word, smiling like he had been given the medal of honor. Jason just shot his elbow out at Nico's side, barely missing him.

"So how was your second date?" Percy asked, sugar-coating his voice and batting his eyelashes. Nico panicked for only a moment before swallowing his bite of roll and clearing his throat. He had assumed he would've had more time to settle in and think about how he wanted to approach it, but when Percy was determined to do something, it got done.

"Um…Well it started out great. Like perfect. Dinner was amazing and so was the movie. 10/10 would recommend a Star is Born by the way." Nico tried to figure out how to stall for as long as possible, but Jason eyed him knowingly and he knew he would have to share.

"And then I…umm…well I kinda had two mental breakdowns, but like small ones so its fine." Nico looked down at his fork, focusing intently on rearranging the food on his plate. He always hated the way people looked at him in these situations.

"Nico…" Percy began, the uncertainty in his voice causing the word to sound like a question. Nico just looked at him, cutting off whatever he was about to say. "Look Perce, it was bad, but I got through it. J was there for the first one, told me to stop being a coward. Then there was, well I wouldn't qualify it as a panic attack, not like they used to be at least, but Will was there to take care of me. He talked me down, got me to sleep, made me breakfast in the morning. He was…well amazing." The heat in his cheeks couldn't be willed away, and he knew that he must've looked ridiculous with his blush.

"In the morning you say?" Percy questioned, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I picked up my napkin and threw it at him, frowning. "That would be the only thing you heard from that story you pervert."

Jason, Percy and Nico all laughed at that, easing back into eating. Nico was glad that Percy wasn't going to ask him anymore about what happened. Jason was more the worrywart than Percy, but he knew that Percy would do anything for him.

Time passed quickly after that, with the singular focus being left to the food in front of them. When Nico was done tasting all of his options, he got up to get his second round. Filling a plate with his favorites from his tasting platter, he sat back down at the table. Percy by then was on his second of the three slices of pie, and Jason was almost done with his mountain of food.

"I find it funny that when I was out with Will he said I ate like a linebacker. He obviously hasn't seen you two eat." His smile was wide as he mentioned Will, and if this had been a cheesy romance novel, he could just imagine how the author would describe his face. The word twinkle would probably be thrown around.

"Okay so this is completely unfair. J got to meet mystery boy, but I didn't!" Percy whined, the sound muted by the bite of pie he had in his mouth.

"Well maybe if you'd come to the party then you would've met him Grandpa!" Jason stuck his tongue out, earning a laugh from Percy.

"Yeah, but at what cost? Annabeth has me on her grad school schedule, so I was sound asleep at 10 yesterday. It was amazing. Speaking of Annabeth, I gotta run something by you guys." Nico and Jason glanced at each other from the corner of their eyes. They've had a bet running for almost three years on when Percy would propose; ever since they got back together after a stupid and unnecessary break up based on Percy being an idiot. Nico had by the end of Annabeth's first year of Grad school and Jason had by her graduation. Hazel had lost already since she thought it would've been when Percy graduated college last year. It was really heated for some reason.

"What are you guys looking at each other like for?" Percy asked incredulously, narrowing his eyes. He was not the most observant individual, so he had no idea about the bet.

"We're just worried about what that crazy brain of yours has come up with." Nico lied smoothly, taking a bite from the chicken and broccoli dish on his plate. Jason quirked the corner of his lips up, attempting to hide a laugh. Honestly with how bad Jason was at lying, it was amazing they hadn't been discovered yet.

"Oh." Percy responded, straightening out of his slump. "Well you're both dumb and I'm amazing." His matter of fact tone led to another round of laughter from the table. It was easy being around Jason and Percy, he felt like he could really be himself, he felt completely safe.

"So anyway, back to my amazing plan that is a work of genius..." Percy started, pulling out a box from his jacket pocket. "Do you think she'll like it?" Popping open the top, the boys stared at the ring. It was incredibly delicate, which was a surprise for Nico. He hadn't expected Percy's taste to be so…refined. There was a beautiful diamond in the middle, nothing big, but it fit Annabeth he thought. The band was silver, with small sapphires flanking the diamond in the middle. All in all, it was an absolutely beautiful ring, and Nico thought Annabeth would love it.

"Wow. Percy…Just…Wow…" Jason started, and Nico could see that he was really unsure of what to say.

"Percy, she's gonna love it." Nico assured, grabbing the box to take a closer look. The ring was the perfect combination of both of their styles. He laughed quietly to himself for a moment, noticing the expression on Percy's face.

"Sorry, it just…It reminds me of you. How you used to make your mom turn all your food blue. Its perfect." Jason agreed, nodding his head. It was crazy to think that this was the same boy that had nearly died at camp over a dozen times.

"You're really gonna do it." Jason muttered, a smile of disbelief on his face. He placed his hand on Percy's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "I'm so happy for you dude. You and Annabeth have been through a lot of shit. You deserve it."

Percy grabbed the ring, looking at it fondly before closing it. "I saw that ring at an antique store when I was shopping with Annabeth after we got back together three years ago. I've been saving up for it ever since. Finally got the money and I think I'm ready. I let her out of my life once, I'm not ever letting it happen again."

Jason and Percy started reminiscing about when Percy and Annabeth started being a thing when they were younger, when Nico felt his phone buzz. _And who will give me this hands-on education? I hope its not my professor. Her husband would probably not be happy. If that's you offering to help though, I can think of quite a few areas I'd like to study. :P_

Nico nearly choked on his drink as he read the text from Will. He had completely forgotten he'd sent Will that text. Coughing to clear his throat, he noticed the other two boys had stopped their conversation and were staring at him.

"Went down the wrong pipe." He excused, not sure how believable he sounded. They didn't press him, luckily, so he just put his phone in his pocket. The response for that would be a later issue, when Jason and Percy weren't around.

Jason and Nico collectively decided to get dessert soon after that, while Percy headed back over to where the entrée bar was. Eating three pieces of pie before his main meal didn't seem to deter his bottomless pit of a stomach at all.

"I win by the way." Nico gloated, surveying the ice cream flavors that were out. Settling on some mint chocolate chip and a cookie, Jason shoved him lightly.

"It ain't over til its over. We didn't ask when he was gonna propose. It could be not until next year." Jason seemed resolute in his point, but Nico just rolled his eyes.

"There is a such a thing as being a good loser Grace. You might want to get used to it." Nico responded, hurrying out of Jason's reach so that the boy couldn't give him one of his famous noogies.

When he got back to the table, Percy was settled in with a pasta dish of some sort. He looked incredibly pleased to be eating more and smiled happily up at Nico as he approached. Nico chuckled, noting how crazy it was that this dude was going to be engaged soon. When Jason got back to the table, he started asking his questions.

"So when are you gonna do it?" Nico began, figuring that was the simplest place to start.

"The day after her last final. There's this planetarium near L.A. I'm gonna take her to. She loves the architecture of the place, she's always talking about it. I have a whole speech planned about how she's the love of my life and all that." Nico was not shocked at how sentimental his plan was, but all the same, he was really proud of Percy.

"So soon?" Jason responded, frowning as Nico stuck his tongue out at him.

"I've known I wanted to marry her since I was 12, so it honestly feels like I've been waiting an eternity." Nico could tell that Percy was getting a little overwhelmed with all the emotion, so he cracked a joke.

"Well I'm excited for you. If my first crush had to marry someone else, I'm glad its Annabeth." That earned a smile from Percy, who bumped him with his shoulder.

"Just promise me you won't pull any stunts during the objection part." He winked at Nico, who rolled his eyes. "Although I guess you won't need to now that you have a man of your own." The mischievous smirk on Percy's face was matched with an evil glint behind his blue-green eyes. Nico groaned. He had been doing so well distracting from talking about his love life.

"Yeah well…" He cleared his throat, willing the blush creeping up his neck to go away. "Um yeah so I guess I kind of have a boyfriend now." Saying that word aloud was still extremely weird for Nico, especially in front of Percy. He didn't have any romantic feelings for Percy anymore, in fact he saw him as the brother he always wanted, but it was strange that once upon a time, he had wanted Percy to fill that position.

"Bow chicka wow wow." Percy mocked, blocking Nico's hand with his arm. "Oh come on Neeks! I haven't gotten my fill of making fun of my friend's love lives since Pipes and J started dating back at camp. Grover is a perpetual bachelor. I need this." He pleaded with his eyes, knowing that his puppy dog expression would make Nico give in to his every whim.

"Fuck." Nico spat, "You know that I can't resist your stupid puppy dog eyes and its not fair!" He groaned, slumping back in his chair. "What do you want to know?" He resigned with a sigh. Percy would get what he wanted one way or another, and he would rather he be the one telling him.

"You guys are the worst. You know that right?" He teased, watching as Jason pulled an expression of faux hurt and Percy just nodded excitedly.

Percy and Jason couldn't decide who got to ask him questions first, so they settled it by rock paper scissors. Jason pulled a rock like he always did, and Percy countered with a paper. It was really funny that the blonde never noticed that he always did rock. It was so predictable.

"YES!" Percy nearly shouted, earning a loud shush from Nico and a few glares from other people eating nearby. "Suck it Grace!" He said in a much quieter tone, earning a playful glare from their blonde companion.

"So, tell us about him. You already told me how you met him and stuff so maybe more details? How old is he? What are his hobbies? What does he do for school or work? Those kinda things." Percy leaned back, looking expectantly at the darker haired boy next to him. Jason looked at him the same way, and Nico found himself shrinking under the attention.

"Um well he's 23, I think. He's in his first year of med-school at Olympus, and he plays Ultimate Frisbee." Nico smirked at Jason before adding the next bit, "And he thinks the Office is better than Parks and Rec." Percy shot Jason a victorious smile, making Jason look absolutely miserable. While Nico was firmly in Jason's Parks and Rec camp, it had been a running argument between the two boys since Nico's senior year of high school.

"A man of impeccable taste I must say. I'm a fan. He can stay."

"As I said before Nico, I can no longer approve of this man. And he and Percy are never allowed to meet, I'm afraid of what that would result in." Jason expressed firmly, the seriousness of his tone thrown off by the fact that he had some cupcake icing on his upper lip. Nico and Percy just laughed at the boy, causing him to look at them in confusion.

"What?" The blonde asked, his eyes moving between Percy and Nico.

"J you got a little…" Nico began, laughing while gesturing to his top lip. Jason quickly grabbed a napkin and wiped away the offending blob of icing.

"I don't even know why I hang out with you losers." He grumbled, standing up and heading over to pay for his meal. They had pretty much finished up by then, so Nico and Percy followed suit. Time had flown during lunch, and Nico realized it had been almost two hours since they had arrived. He hadn't realized they'd been there for so long.

"So what's next boys?" Percy asked, stretching as he opened the door. The sun had come out from behind the clouds by then, so Nico pulled some old aviators from his inner jacket pocket and put them on. Pulling his now-dry hair into a loose ponytail, he found Percy and Jason snickering at him.

"What?" Nico prodded, leaning against the beam of concrete next to him.

"You literally always look like a shitty undercover band dude when your hair is like that." Percy started.

"Yeah like you're the bassist for some pop punk garbage band or something." Jason added, the two of them doubling over with laughter as they started all over again.

"Well I'll have you two clowns know that when The Skeleton Kings takes off that I will be replacing my bandmates." He stuck his tongue out, alluding to the joke band they had been in at camp when he was younger. They had won the talent show every year for the last three years he went as a camper. It did help that his competition had been a kid doing magic tricks badly.

Percy held his hand to his chest and gasped while Jason started fake crying into Percy's shoulder. "How could you?" The blonde mocked, as Percy put a comforting arm around him.

"Losers." Nico chided, trying to hide his laughter. "Anyway, back to fish boy's question, what do you guys want to do?" Percy went to interrupt, but Nico just continued, ignoring him. "I have a paper that I should probably work on, but its due tomorrow so that seems like a tomorrow problem. Percy you're essentially a housewife so I know you don't have any plans. J?"

"I have my Psych midterm tomorrow, but I've got a decent amount of studying done. You wanna come back to the dorm and play some CoD Perce?" Jason offered, knowing that the answer would be yes. Percy was freakishly good at Call of Duty, and he never turned down an opportunity to remind them about that.

"Hells yeah man." Percy shouted, running excitedly back to his car. "I'll see you assholes there!" The juxtaposition of his saying that while climbing into a Prius was hilarious, so Jason and Nico just laughed as they went back to their car.

The drive back consisted of Jason making good on Nico's promise to not change the country station he loved listening to. The darker-haired boy decided suffering in silence was best and pulled out his phone. He had a few snapchats from Will and one from Annabeth, but he couldn't focus on those in that moment.

His messages app laid open on the text he had gotten from Will earlier during lunch, _If that's you offering to help though, I can think of quite a few areas I'd like to study. :P_

Blushing, he swallowed hard. He was bad enough at flirting in real life, but through text he always went too obvious or too subtle. Considering his options, he wrote and then deleted his response about four times.

_Well I want you to study them._ No that's too much.

_Who said I was offering to help? _No that didn't feel right either.

_You would think that someone who got into medical school would already know plenty about anatomy. _No. No. No.

_And what parts would those be? _That was perfect Nico thought, landing somewhere in between obvious flirtation and joking around. He decided on an emoji to accompany it, choosing the thinking emoji with its hand on its chin. He hit send quickly before he could overthink it too much. Will seemed to be on another of his on periods because there was no response. Nico was kind of glad for the reprieve though and turned his attention back to Jason's screeching that he called singing. There was nothing to do now but hang out with his friends and wait for a response.


	14. Saturdays are for the Boys Part 3

Anxiety is a hell of a drug, Nico found in the hours he waited for a response to his risky text to Will. As bad as he found himself to be at Call of Duty normally, he was exceptionally worse when he was distracted. Jason and Percy had decreed him useless and were now reviving the Call of Duty Feud of their sophomore year. Percy had been their RA his junior year and had taken the opportunity of a single room to create the ultimate gaming experience, essentially turning the second bed in the room into a gaming pad.

Now in their dorm, Nico sat in his desk chair, Jason sat in his bean bag, and Percy sat in Jason's desk chair, all three facing the TV that sat atop their dressers. They were about 15 games in and Jason had won seven and Percy eight, so the stakes were pretty high for the outcome of this next match.

"Come and get me fucker." Jason goaded, smirking victoriously when he successfully killed Percy with a headshot. All the downtime he's been spending playing the game had really improved his marksmanship. This was the closest tournament he had ever seen between them.

Nico watched the boys intently, noticing their different styles. While Jason's whole body leaned into the gameplay, his movements often imitating the game's, Percy was almost statuesque in the stillness and attention he devoted to the game. Which was rather ironic considering Percy, of the three of them, had by far the worst ADHD; but Nico just guessed it was years of training that allowed him to accomplish this feat.

For about the 1000th time since they had gotten back to the dorm, Nico found himself checking his phone. Each time he was hopeful that there would be a response and each time he was wrong. He and Annabeth had been snapchatting since Percy was busy playing. Her most recent picture had been a giant coffee from the shop in her grad school library. Nico sent her back a picture of his two stupid friends and their video-game based rivalry with the caption: Idiots, but my idiots.

"Shit!" Jason shouted suddenly, bringing Nico's attention back to the boys in front of him. He didn't even have to look past the shit-eating grin on Percy's face to know that he had won the game. Percy was not a gracious winner, just as Jason was a sore loser, but watching their banter was always entertaining.

"This is such bullshit. How did you even shoot me at that angle? And I definitely hit you with my last shot. This is bullshit!" Jason insisted that he was done playing the game forever, as he did every time he lost, and within a minute or so they were back to their competition. It was comfortable, the predictability of his friends. There had been portions of their childhood where Percy and Jason made sure to never have a dull moment, never letting things be, but now that they were all older the boys were much more settled into a routine. No more monsters to slay or corporate Titans to take on.

Nico laughed as he remembered them as children. Percy was barely 15 when he had hitchhiked to the city headquarters of Chronos Corp. to stop a hostile takeover of the land they used for camp. He and Annabeth were just kids, but they somehow stopped Camp Half-Blood from becoming a parking lot for an industrial complex. Jason joined the group soon after when a giant sinkhole formed in the middle of the camp and they all raised the money to keep the camp open. It had bonded them all together, but Nico always wished for a simple summer with no missions or tragedies.

"What's so funny Skelly?" Percy asked, not diverting his attention from the screen in front of him.

"I was just remembering when that giant sinkhole opened up at Camp. Do you remember Clarisse's reaction?" Nico prompted, waiting for one of the boys to answer.

"Oh Jesus. I thought she was going to try and fist fight the dirt. I've never seen her so angry ." Percy supplied, Jason laughing in agreement.

"We were lucky that it was just her shoes that got ruined by the mud. I think she would've personally burn the entire camp to the ground if it had got in her hair." Nico shuddered at the thought. Clarisse was one scary camper on a regular day, but especially when the sinkhole incident occurred. She was in a bad mood for weeks, if not months, after the fact.

They paused the game, deciding to spend some time reminiscing about their days at camp. Which then led into reminiscing about their time in college, which then led to reminiscing about their Call of Duty Feud, which led to even more aggressive Call of Duty playing than before. Nico just rolled his eyes as the two went back to their game. He felt his phone buzz and his heart stopped for a moment, the way it had every time his phone had buzzed in the past two hours.

Will's text was short. _I'll be sure to point them out to you next time I see you._

Nico read the text from Will carefully, smiling at his phone before biting his lip. He really didn't want to think too much about the intention of his words with his best friends sitting in the room with him.

_And when will that be?_ Nico replied quickly, eager to know when he'd see Will again. The response to this one was much quicker, which Nico took to mean he was either done studying or taking a long break for lunch.

_Well I have breakfast with my mom tomorrow, but after that? This lab is going pretty good, should be done by tonight. Interested in a movie night at my place sunshine?_

The stupid nickname Will had called him appeared again and he couldn't help but smile. He felt like he was in the middle of some cliché teen romance novel and it made him sick.

_Sounds like a plan. Let me know when to head over. _

"What is that look?" Percy asked, bringing Nico's attention to two sets of eyes watching him.

"Oh yeah you get used to that. Our precious Neeks is in loovvvveeee." Jason responded, pulling out the sounds on love in a mockingly sweet tone. The two boys clutched together like an old-timey romance movie which earned a groan from Nico, who slumped in his chair.

Nico felt a sense of dread at their words though. He was never someone who was super in-touch with him emotions, and as much as his talk with Jason the other night had shown him that he needed to let Will in, it still terrified him how quickly Will had become a factor in his happiness. He looked out the window, pulling his hand to his chin, a look of worry coming over him.

"Hey Nico, we were just messing around." Percy stated, hitting Jason's shoulder to get him to stop laughing.

"Yeah I know Perce. Its just still hard, you know, opening up to this whole thing. In case the past all of my life hasn't been an indication, I'm not great at having or expressing feelings." There was an equal mixture of self-deprecating humor and truthful sadness in his voice, and he just shook his head.

"I'll get used to it eventually. How about we just keep playing video games and ignore my slow descent into rom-com protagonist?" He offered, noticing the look that Percy and Jason exchanged. Slowly they smiled, turning back to their game. Nico loved his friends, but they tended to be overprotective when he was upset.

"Neeks, I insist you play the next game. I'm getting tired of beating Jay's ass." Percy taunted, throwing Jason's controller into Nico's lap. Jason threw a soft punch into Percy's shoulder, which caused him to yell and rub it lightly.

"Don't be a sore loser Grace." Percy teased, sticking his tongue out like a child.

"Don't be an asshole Jackson." Jason teased back, returning the childish gesture.

"I'm surrounded by idiots." Nico directed at them both, barely able to hide the smirk on his face. The boys pouted at him. "But you're my idiots." He added, earning a bright smile from you both.

He played the next few games with Percy, surprisingly winning the second game. If it weren't for the sincere look of frustration and the fact that Percy's hair was messed up in the way that only happened when he was annoyed, Nico might have thought that Percy had let him win.

"Wow rough one to Jackson's ego." Jason remarked, returning to his seat after popping some popcorn. He took a handful of popcorn, shoving the kernels into his mouth in alarming quantities. Percy didn't even acknowledge his statement, instead favoring the popcorn in front of him.

Percy's phone began to ring, and he had that goofy smile that he always got when Annabeth was mentioned, so they didn't even have to ask who it was. Jason held out his hand for the controller, which Percy quickly handed him before walking out of the room.

"Hey sweetie…" They heard before the door closed.

"You know I hope that I will still like Will that much when we've been dating for 5 years." Nico said absentmindedly, intentionally avoiding Jason's gaze, which he was sure would be looking for some break in his smile or pain in his eyes.

"Yeah. I hope the same for me and Pipes. Although I gotta tell you Nico, this long-distance thing is getting really hard on me. I love her, but the busier she gets in her program, the less time she has for me." Jason sighed, starting the next game so he had something else to focus on.

They played in silence for the next game, the only sounds in the room were the quiet gunshots of the game. Nico knew enough about Jason to know that it wasn't the right time to have an extended conversation about his worries. Percy slipped in about three-quarters of the way through the second game, which caused a moment of distraction for Jason that Nico took advantage of.

The next few minutes of the game consisted of Nico running away and Jason desperately trying to gain another kill before the time ran out. He nearly growled with frustration when Nico won.

"I am never playing this fucking game with you two ever again." The blonde boy insisted, throwing his controller away from him onto a pile of questionably clean laundry.

"Loser." Percy joked, pulling Jason into an uncomfortable head lock to noogie him. It was such a childish move and yet it served its purpose of getting Jason to smile. The rough housing was broken up by Percy's grumbling stomach.

"Man what time is it?" He asked, making sad puppy dog eyes at his two companions. It astonished Nico that Percy even had room for more food after the number he did on the buffet at lunch time, but he looked at his watch anyway.

"Oh shit it is almost 5." Nico remarked, trying to figure out how so much time had passed. Jason just shrugged, scrunching his nose in thought.

"You know, now that you mention it, I am hungry. What do you guys want to do for dinner? We could always go to the Chinese food place on Fifth." Percy seemed to glow at the prompt, nodding his head furiously.

"Oh yeah and Neeks can invite his boyfriend!" He added, something mischievous glinting in his eyes.

"He's busy!" Nico responded, almost too quickly, trying to recover from his statement, "I mean he has a lab report he's working on, but I can see if he's available." As much as he loved Percy and Jason and their dude-bro sibling energy, it was a lot for Will to be thrust into less than a week in.

Percy watched him expectantly, and he rolled his eyes, pulling out his phone. _Hey if you're not too busy with your lab, my friends wanted to offer you could join us for dinner. No pressure though!_

He hit send, hoping that he would be too busy to respond or go. Which is why he was rather shocked when his phone dinged only a few seconds later. _Sure! I actually just finished up with my report. Let me know where and I'll meet you._

Nico's face must've looked stupid because his mouth was hanging open. He had conflicting feelings of being excited to see Will again, since that was his universal feeling everytime he thought about Will, and dread that his friends would embarrass him or scare him away.

"Umm Will said to let him know when we're going, and he'll meet us." Nico choked out, trying to hide his discomfort with this turn of events. It really was irrational that he was so afraid, after all Percy and Jason would cut it out if it ever really got to be too much. Plus, it wasn't like there were any photo albums of Nico as a baby they could share.

"Cool so let's say Far East Café at…" Percy paused to check his watch, which Nico noticed looked like it came out of a cereal box. "5:15. That'll give me a chance to absolutely wreck Nico in gun game at least twice more." Nico just rolled his eyes and gave Percy's arm a playful punch, pulling out his phone and texting Will. _Far East Café in 20? Also be warned, Percy and Jason are not my older brothers, but I don't think they understand that. Might result in a 'hurt him and I'll kill you' convo or two._

Jason sighed at them but signaled that he was heading to the bathroom. Before Nico sat back down at his desk, he felt his phone vibrate. _I can take them. No worries, I am practiced in the ancient art of ka-ra-te. _Seconds letter it buzzed again with an accompanying gif of Dwight from the office doing terrible self-defense moves.

That made Nico laugh, which made Percy smile, which made Nico blush. "I can't remember the last time you were so happy Neeks. Not that you weren't happy before this and stuff…" Percy pulled his hand behind his head, messing his hair up. "But you know, you seem freer now. I think I've seen you genuinely smile and laugh more today than I normally do in a month." He leaned against Jason's desk, playing absentmindedly with a dark piece of hair dangling in front of his face. "I'm just…really happy for you. You've deserved this for a long time. Although you know I'm gonna have to give him the talk."

Nico frowned, shooting a glare in Percy's direction. "Don't you dare." He warned, the tone in his voice not as strong as he would've liked. It was a lost cause anyway, Nico knew from the glint in Percy's eyes and the innocent way that he held his hands up in surrender that Percy was going to do it no matter what Nico tried.

"Perce…" Nico started, his whole body stiffening for a moment. "Maybe don't mention about…you know…" He looked away from Percy, trying to find the courage to say it.

"Don't you worry skelly, I'm not going to tell dear William about the years you spent drooling over me. Even if I did though, I doubt he would care. I am incredibly handsome, talented, intelligent…" He was poised to go on, but that was interrupted by Nico smacking him hard in the face with a pillow from his bed.

"Hey!" Percy piped in, grabbing a pillow off Jason's bed and attempting to fight back. If there was one advantage Nico had over Percy, it was that he was small and quick, thus not a great target if he was moving. After he got in a few more jabs, and Percy got in a few as well, they reared back for a second of reprieve before going back into it. Percy aimed the pillow at Nico's face, and was stopped short when a flash of blonde appeared to their side.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jason yelled, barely withholding his laughter. He gave up a few seconds later on his attempt to be serious and doubled over with laughter. "I leave you two alone for like two minutes and you start a fucking pillow fight like preteen girls." Nico and Percy glanced at each other from their peripherals and communicated silently. Percy gave a tight nod, and the corner of Nico's mouth twitched up into a small smirk. Three seconds later, they pounced on Jason, assaulting him with their weapons of cotton and feather.

Jason jumped back, grabbing the closest thing he could find to protect himself, which just so happened to be a can of mousse. He held it up threateningly, which lasted for maybe two seconds before they all threw down their weapons and started laughing.

"Alright lets go. Who wants to drive?" Jason stated, wiping his eye as a tear threatened to fall from laughing so much. Percy and Nico just glanced at him with a bored and annoyed expression respectively.

"Jay, you know the answer to that is always going to be you. My car is a piece of shit and Percy's has a weird smell."

"It does not!"

"It categorically does Jackson. Like old feet." Jason responded, grabbing his keys from his desk and pulling on a jacket. Nico grabbed his bomber to put over Will's sweatshirt, which he suddenly became very conscious he was wearing. How had Percy not noticed? Had he noticed and not said anything? Pushing his thoughts away, he followed the boys out, shooting Will a quick text, _Heading out now. See you in 10!_

The walk downstairs consisted of Percy and Jason arguing more about the weird and omnipresent smell in Percy's car. By the time they arrived at Jason's car, and Percy aggressively claimed shotgun, Nico was excited to see Will again. His nerves about Percy meeting Will faded as they were replaced with the nerves that came from thinking about his extremely handsome and intelligent boyfriend.

Percy called his name, and he looked forward to see that he was taking a selfie of the three of them. Nico smiled just in time, pulling his hair out of his hair tie when he saw it in the picture. Shaking out his hair, he ran his fingers through to get rid of any remaining bumps.

He chuckled to himself, wondering how their dinner plans would go, hoping Will was ready for the two natural disasters he was about to encounter.


	15. Far East Cafe

There was something therapeutic about walking through the doors of Far East Café. It was Nico's home away from home, and he had spent an embarrassing portion of his freshman year within the confines of its shop. The older Chinese woman who owned the place was sweet and always greeted Nico with a smile.

"Hey there." He greeted, walking up to the counter. The walls were painted a pale green, and there was a golden buddha statue on a lone shelf. A few tables and chairs were scattered in the middle, with worn leather booths in a pseudo dining room around the corner. It always smelled like fresh ginger and garlic, and he inhaled the scent. "It smells amazing ." He offered, watching as her cross expression melted.

"Why don't you come see me anymore? Too busy for this old woman?" She asked, crossing her arms and looking at him expectantly.

"Never too busy for you." He charmed, fluttering his eyelashes at her. She let out a sigh of exasperation but couldn't hide her smile. Shouting in Mandarin back into the kitchen, she ordered Nico's favorite tea.

"Wow are you a secret celebrity Nico?" Percy asked, watching the whole exchange with an amused smile. Jason just shook his head at Percy and laughed. Jason had grown up in California, so he had a very healthy relationship with American Chinese food.

"Told you the band would take off." Nico joked back, bumping Percy's shoulder lightly with his own. They settled into one of the booths, Nico sitting on one side and Percy and Jason on the other. He checked his phone again as they sat, hoping to find a text from Will. There wasn't one, he noted with an anxious expression, which was soon calmed as the bell above the door rang, alerting him to someone entering the shop.

Will was wearing a plaid button-down and some worn-looking jeans. His hair was peaking out from underneath a blue baseball cap, and he wore a simple necklace. All in all, he looked amazing, and Nico couldn't help but smile. He stood and nearly bounced over to the taller blonde man, a huge grin on his face. Will's grin matched his own, and the blonde pulled Nico in for a chaste kiss. The shorter boy felt a pang of disappointment when they pulled apart but was quickly brought back down to Earth as Percy cleared his throat.

Percy wasn't as tall as Will or Jason, so watching him try to intimidate Will physically was rather hilarious. The darker-haired boy squared up his shoulders and straightened his back, somehow bulging every muscle on his body. "William, I presume." Percy offered, holding out a hand for a shake. Nico found it unbelievable that Will had held in his laughter but kept watching the exchange with curiosity.

"Yep that's me. I guess that makes you Percy." When their hands connected for a shake, Percy held on too long and even Nico and Jason could see that they were both trying to break the other's hand with pressure. It felt like hours before they finally broke apart, Percy shooting a proud smile towards Nico.

"Jason…Sorry about the other night. I really meant to get to know you better, I just…" Will began, nervously looking down at his shoes. Jason just shrugged his shoulders, shooting Will an apologetic smile.

"No worries Will. I'm glad you were there for him. Now if you and Percy are done with that dominance display, why don't we sit down…Get to know each other better." There was something in Jason's tone that made Nico narrow his eyes suspiciously. Which was only made worse when Percy requested that Nico go up to order their food.

"Shouldn't everyone order their own food?" Will asked, innocently, not knowing Percy and Jason well enough to smell out their schemes.

"Oh we could do that, but Nico is so close to the owner, we're sure she would love to chat with him. Even told us when we got here how much she missed him this year." Percy supplied, easily using truthful statements to cover his lie. Nico always told him he was way too good at lying, and that he'd make an excellent lawyer if he ever wanted a career in it.

"Okay, well I guess that makes sense. Can you get me some sesame chicken?" Will supplied, looking up at Nico, who was still pouting at this clear attempt to separate him from Will for Percy and Jason to give the blonde their 'hurt him and I'll kill you talk'.

"Sure thing sunshine." Nico responded, melting as Will shot him an earnest smile. Before he left, he shot a warning glare at his two friends, hoping that Will would still be there when he got back.

Rounding the corner, he glanced back to catch one last glimpse of the trio he left behind. All he could see was the back of Will's head and a matching set of mischievous grins. He shook his head, trying to convince himself that will would survive the trouble twins. After all, he did know the ancient art of karate.

Mrs. Wang was cleaning the counter when he stopped by, gracious that she had his tea prepared. Pouring himself a cup, he started sipping at the hot liquid, nearly burning his mouth in the process.

"So Nico, I've seen your other two friends, but who is that new boy? He is tall and handsome…" She drew out her description of Will, cooing over his boyfriend. Nico looked at her with wide eyes as she said this. He had never told her he was gay, and he had an urge to panic, but he was able to stop himself. Clearly, she didn't care or she wouldn't have talked about Will that way.

"Umm…he's my boyfriend…Will." Nico could feel his throat dry as he spoke the words. This was his third time referring to Will as his boyfriend, and the first in public. He felt warmth pool beneath the apples of his cheeks, rising from his chest. He didn't think he'd blushed this much in his whole life, and yet it was pretty much all he did now.

Mrs. Wang slapped him lightly on the arm, letting out a noise of approval. "Such a handsome young man. Good for you! Now what do you boys want to eat? Can't let you all go hungry can I?" Opening a note pad, she waited for him to start ordering.

"Umm…two shrimp egg rolls, chicken with broccoli, pork lo mein, fried dumplings and sesame chicken." He rattled off, trying to think if he forgot anything. Reviewing his order in his head, he nodded at her to show that he was done. She smiled kindly at him, ripping off the notepad paper and bringing it to the kitchen, shouting something in Mandarin which Nico had been there enough to recognize as his order of chicken with broccoli.

"Now Nico before you go back, tell me more about your young man." Mrs. Wang sang out as she leaned on the counter towards him. He shot a worried glance at the wall that stood between him and Will and sighed. She was really nice, and he hadn't seen her in a while. Will would probably survive a few more minutes alone with his best friends.

"Uh well he's older than me…and he's in med school. He…" He paused, playing with his hair as he thought of the best way to describe Will. "He makes me happy. Like really happy. And he's so funny and the way he smiles just drives me nuts you know?" Suddenly aware that he was rambling, he paused, eyeing Mrs. Wang to make sure she didn't look bored or grossed out.

"A doctor? Wow. You have a real catch there. Maybe you could come teach my good for nothing son how to pick up a good man. All he does is bring home pretty boys with no future plans. Your Will is going to do something with his life." He melted at her smile when he realized that she had a gay son. It kind of explained why she had taken such an interest in him.

"What about you Nico? You're a senior now, what are your plans?" He stared at her blankly, having not expected that turn of events. Luckily, he was saved as a bell dinged in the kitchen and she got called back to answer a delivery call. He waved to her as he left the counter, letting out a sigh of relief.

When he headed back to the table, there was a head of blonde hair missing and the panic that had been welling in his chest returned.

"What did you do?" Nico groaned, crossing his arms as he approached the booth.

"We didn't do anything Neeks." Jason cooed out, smiling sweetly. This earned a scowl from Nico and Percy rolled his eyes.

"Will's in the bathroom Neeks. No worries, we didn't scare him off." Percy informed him, and Nico felt the tension leave his body. He sat down on the side of the booth he and Will were sharing and began playing with the cup his tea was in.

"Not that I thought you would…" Nico began, acknowledging what he knew all along which was that Percy and Jason would never mess with him like that.

"Yeah we know skelly, it'd be real fucked up of us to chase off the man of your dreams." Percy added, earning a playful punch from Nico as he sat down. Jason grabbed Nico's tea and sipped at it, recoiling with each sip as he dispelled hot air in an attempt to cool the hot drink.

"Its hot." Nico warned as Jason stuck out his tongue to cool it.

"Yeah no shit asshole." Jason chided, using his hands to fan his tongue. It was in that moment that Will returned, and Nico scooted over to make room.

"Did you guys know the bathroom here has a picture of Jesus in the bathroom? Felt kinda weird having the Lord watch over me while I was peeing." Will smirked at Nico and Nico could feel himself melting at the look. He was such a fucking love sick puppy and there was nothing that could be done about it.

"Oh yeah, it's a rite of passage, peeing in front of Jesus. Personally, I think that if I was going to pick some higher being to ascribe to, I'd go for the Greek gods." Nico laughed at the statement, as this was a conversation the boys had had at least a dozen times since they became friends at camp.

"No way man, the Roman gods are where its at." Jason argued, going to take another sip of the tea, which had cooled enough to drink by then.

"Clearly the Greek versions are better. Lets ask the new guy. New guy…" Percy began, addressing Will who just grinned sheepishly and held back a laugh.

"Yes old guy?" Will spoke, earning a laugh from Nico. He felt a warmth on top of his hand, and noticed that the blonde boy had grabbed it to hold. Intertwining their fingers, he squeezed it lightly. He was glad to see his friends getting along with Will.

"First of all, you are older than me so that is both factually incorrect and rude, and second of all, which do you think are better the Greek or Roman gods?"

Will seemed to think for a moment, considering his answer. Jason and Percy both looked expectantly at him, and he knew this was a test.

"Well actually its funny because my dad's last name is Apollo so I can't even pick because that was his name in both the Greek and Roman versions. But I guess if I had to pick, the Greek gods were less…well I can't say violent because that's not true, but war-like I guess." Percy's eyes glowed like he had just won a prize, and he stood to take a bow.

Jason just rolled his eyes and went back to drinking Nico's tea.

"Honestly next time just bring an air pump so we can inflate his ego even more." This earned laughs from everyone but Percy, who crossed his arms in an attempt to look annoyed. That façade broke down soon after, and he was joining in with them.

The food came then, carried by Mrs. Wang, and a boy around his age that he wondered might have been her son. Setting down the food in front of them, she gave Nico a wink and a thumbs up before heading back to the kitchen.

"So what did you all talk about while I was gone?" Nico wondered out loud, grabbing from the stack of plates in the center of the table and piling food on.

The three boys glanced at each other, sharing a conspiratorial look, and simultaneously said, "Nothing."

"Oh yes of course. Because that response is not suspicious in any way and makes me feel much better." Nico chided, his voice heavy with sarcasm. For some reason, this just resulted in his friends sharing another smirk and a glance. Maybe it was a bad idea for Will to be introduced. He couldn't even imagine the trouble that those three would cook up for him together.

Noticing his boyfriend frowning, Will brought Nico's hand up to his lips. "Don't worry skelly, they didn't do anything bad. Just the birds and the bees and vague threats on my life." Based on the approving smirk from Percy, Nico could tell that something else had gone down too.

He absolutely hated being left out of things, but if it was something bad, Will would've told them. He decided to drop the topic for now and get down to eating. He and Will both realized that eating was significantly harder with only one hand and reluctantly let go.

A few minutes had passed before Nico finally realized what must have happened.

"You told him about the band." Nico said matter of factly, thinking back on the nickname Will had called him.

"Definitely not." "Nope, not us." Were Jason and Percy's simultaneous responses. Nico glowered at them both before turning to Will, his body language reflecting how embarrassed he was. "I was a teenager in my defense and we actually won the talent show four years in a row so…" Nico trailed off, noticing that Will was laughing.

"Nico calm down. I think its adorable. Not everyone can pull off a Nirvana shirt that is three sizes too big, but you made it work." He gave him a quick kiss on the lips before Nico pulled back in shock. "Not the picture!" Nico paled as he realized Percy must not have deleted the picture of him in their last year of camp. It was so embarrassing, with Nico's poorly made attempt at a mohawk and a shirt he had borrowed from one of his friends who was much bigger than him. It was such a bad look, and he had wanted to forget it.

"You told me you deleted it!" He hissed at Percy, feeling like his hair might burst into flames from his wrath.

"I said I would delete it off my laptop. Didn't say anything about my phone." Percy really should've been a lawyer.

"Jason tried to stop him, in full disclosure." Will supplied, earning a smile of thanks from the other blonde.

"Yes. I am a total innocent in this. Please remember that when you consider killing me in my sleep Neeks." His tone was jovial, but there was a hint of worry behind his eyes.

"I should've known better than introducing you to Percy. But he forgets that I have some pictures of my own." Nico pulled out his phone, scrolling through his folder labelled blackmail.

"You don't have anything." Percy warned, calling Nico's bluff. Nico just laughed in his face, pulling up the picture he wanted.

"Oh yeah? Hey J, do you remember the cake incident from last year?" Nico asked, not breaking eye contact with Percy. Knowing that Jason would know exactly what he was talking about. Jason burst into uncontrollable laughter as Percy blanched. Will looked at Nico with a smile, enjoying this more mischievous side of Nico's personality.

"What was the cake incident?" Will asked, glancing between the three very different reactions of the boys around him.

"Well let me paint a picture. Its Percy's 21st birthday. The Stolls threw him a party, and understandably he got super wasted." Nico paused as Jason put a supportive hand on Percy's shoulder, keeping him from launching himself at Nico. "Percy here, young sweet Percy, got so incredibly drunk that he decided to steal the cake from the kitchen and bring it to one of the bedrooms. Guess he really wanted a cuddle and thought the cake was Annabeth, we don't know for sure. But we all found him fast asleep, clutching the cake to his bare chest with frosting all over his face."

For proof, he showed Will the picture on his phone. It was definitely Percy, his black hair visible under the few strands covered in white and blue frosting. His lips were tinted blue, and there was cake sticking out from under his arms. On either side of him flanked Connor and Travis who were crouched down.

Will laughed at the picture, throwing his head back as he let it take over him.

"Oh wow. You certainly do love that cake." He commented, wiping away a tear from his eyes before bursting into laughter again as he made eye contact with Percy.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold." Nico teased, finishing up the last few bites of his rice. They had eaten almost all of the food in front of them, except for Will's sesame chicken, which he had eaten a normal sized portion of rather than a disgustingly large portion like the other three.

Percy's phone buzzed, and it was like a flip had switched and he was smiling and happy again. "Annabeth." Jason and Nico commented at the same time.

"Alright folks, gotta start heading out. My lady awaits." He chirped out through a bright smile.

"That is in reference to his girlfriend Annabeth. I think I told you about her." Nico supplied to Will, as the blonde packed up his leftovers into one of the to-go containers that sat at the end of the table.

"Yeah. And Jason's girlfriend. I don't remember her name though…something with a P?" Nico was actually proud that Will remembered him talking about Annabeth but nodded his head.

"Piper. So, I know that we are hanging out now, but would you still want to do a movie night tomorrow? I have a paper to work on and some homework to do for my dumb math class, but I should be totally free." Nico offered, smiling at Will as he licked some sauce from his fingertips.

"Yeah I'd be down. I like seeing you." He admitted, his eyes connecting with Nico's as Percy groaned.

"As much as I fully support Nico being happy and all that garbage, please refrain from making out with my little brother while in front of me." Nico just rolled his eyes, secretly glad that Percy had referred to him as a little brother.

"You're not his big brother dickhole." Jason supplied, slapping him playfully on the back of the head.

"Says you." Percy responded, sticking his tongue out.

"Anyway, we should probably get Percy back to Annabeth before he starts going through withdrawal. Thanks for tonight. They're a lot, and they're idiots, but I'm glad you get along." Will just laughed, placing an arm around Nico's shoulder as they walked out of the dining room.

"Thank you! I'll stop by sometime next week to see you again." Nico promised, as they walked out. Percy and Jason started heading to the car, Nico and Will falling behind them as they prepared to say goodbye.

"This was nice. They're cool dudes." Will spoke, pulling up in front of Nico.

"Yeah it was nice." Nico agreed, going up on his tip toes to brush his lips on Will's. Even on his toes, Will was too tall, so the blonde bent down to deepen the kiss. It was warm and soft, and much shorter than Nico wanted. They pulled apart after a moment or so, and Will shot him one last parting smile.

Nico headed back to the car, finding Percy and Jason waiting for him. They both shot him a knowing smile and he stuck his tongue out in response. The ride back to campus was quiet and quick, and Nico realized how tired he was.

"Today was a good day." He spoke as Jason opened their dorm door. Jason grunted his agreement, his wallet in his mouth. After settling in, they put on Parks and Rec and chilled. Nico wasn't sure how early it was when he fell asleep, but he had no problem drifting off. It had been a very good day.


	16. Halloween Night

The next few weeks of Nico's life passed by in an amazing blur. Between classes and homework, he would see Will; catching him for a few minutes here and there during the day and then having study dates when they were both free.

Will was like the sun, and Nico was a plant. He turned towards his boyfriend's light whenever he was around and had begun thriving like he never had before. He smiled more, laughed more, and spent less time alone.

Soon enough, the end of October dawned, and Halloween was just around the corner. The Stolls were throwing another party, but this one was for Halloween, so costumes were necessary. A decree had been sent out that anyone who shows up to the party not in costume would be mercilessly sprayed with water guns.

Nico loved Halloween; it was his favorite holiday. Skeletons and spooky things started adorning every window, and the temperature slowly began to drop. All in all, Nico had never been looking forward to something more. On one of Will's days off, they had gone costume shopping. It was easy enough to figure out, having already jokingly agreed on what couples costume they would be. Finding the costumes themselves was rather easy, but Nico insisted they add more elements for it to look more authentic.

The Night of the Halloween Party -

"What are you going to do? Actually carve a lightning bolt into my forehead?" Will teased, wrapping his arm around Nico's waist and pulling him close.

"Well now that you mention it…" Nico began, trying to wiggle out of Will's embrace. The taller boy was too strong though, and he couldn't get himself free. "No, I was just gonna offer to muss up your hair so its properly disheveled." He wore his best innocent smile, but there was something devious in his eyes.

"Oh then by all means." Will drawled, bringing his lips down to Nico's in a fiery kiss. They had spent a good majority of their time in the past few weeks doing just that, so they were experts on the subject by then. Instinctively, Nico's hands flew into Will's hair, which had been spray-painted black for the night. There was some resistance from the artificial color, but eventually Nico worked his fingers through. As the kiss deepened, Will's hair got more and more disheveled, and by the time they broke apart, he looked perfect.

"I must say Neeks, you do excellent work." Will commented, admiring his reflection in the mirror near his closet. It had made sense for the boys to get ready at Will's house, considering that's where the party would be.

Nico joined him looking in the mirror. They had bought some paint-on hair color, so Nico's normally dark black hair was a silvery-white blonde. Even with the three coats they had put on, his hair was still fighting the blonde. He found himself frowning at the reflection, not liking the way he looked with the neon hair.

"Yes, that's perfect!" Will teased, wrapping his arms around Nico's waist and standing behind him. "Really get into the character." Nico tried to maintain his scowl, but one look at Will's dumb face had ruined it. His smile was wide and goofy, and he couldn't help but laugh at how stupid he looked when he caught sight of himself in the mirror.

Drawing his eyes up to Will's face, he sighed. "You do make an excellent Harry Potter." Nico conceded, knowing that it would go straight to Will's head. The gold and red accents on the costume tie really brought out his freckles, and the dark hair made his eyes shine brightly. "Although I think you're definitely hotter as a blonde." Will barked out a laugh at that, turning away to grab the fake wands they had made. Nico was actually rather impressed with their costumes in all and hoped that Jason would approve. He had been very secretive about his costume, which Jason was not very happy about. Nico loved him, but he became a sad, pouty baby when he kept things from him.

"Well I must say you make a particularly enticing Slytherin, but I also prefer the real you." Will pulled Nico into him, kissing him again. Unlike the last one, this was soft and slow, and it spread warmth through Nico like an infection in his blood stream. They only pulled apart when they heard a knock on the door. Nico frowned as Will groaned. Moving to go open it, Will let Jason in.

"Wow you guys look amazing!" Jason commented, tossing Will the last piece of his costume. They were a simple pair of glasses that Nico had forgotten in the dorm. Putting them on, Will's costume was complete. Nico took a step back to appreciate his boyfriend again, finding that the glasses really did make the look.

"Brilliant!" He declared, in a terrible attempt at a British accent. Jason and Will both laughed, sitting on Will's bed.

"So what are you J?" Nico asked, eyeing Jason's clothing with a mixture of confusion and frustration. It was definitely a figure from myth, but he couldn't quite place who Jason was dressed as and it annoyed him.

Jason was wearing a toga, held at the shoulder by a golden ring. He had a belt hung around his waist drawing in the fabric. On his head, he wore a golden laurel crown, and he had sandals on his feet. Overall, it was just generic enough for him to be anyone.

"Oh come on Neeks. You don't know? I'll give you a hint." He pulled a cardboard cutout of a lightning bolt from his pocket and threw it at the smaller boy who was still standing by the mirror. Nico dodged the prop, glaring at Jason and approaching him. He probably would've pounced on him if Will hadn't started laughing.

"I would say Zeus, but you are in the Roman camp if I remember, so I guess Jupiter would be more accurate." Will's statement made sense, and Jason lit up when Will remembered he liked the Roman gods better.

"Bingo! Next year we should do a group costume of gods. Nico would make an excellent Hades." He ruffled Nico's hair which earned another glare, and Nico just pouted as he attempted to put his new blonde hair back into place.

Travis appeared in the doorway then, dressed up as a bottle of ketchup. He and Connor always dressed up in the dumbest pair of costumes they could find and this year it was mustard and ketchup. Nico was still partial to their costume from freshman year when they had been an Oreo.

"Hey party people!" His blonde hair was covered with a stupid red cone hat, only tufts poking out the sides. "You look great! Care to come help set up? Fucking Connor dipped into the jungle juice too early and I no longer trust his decision-making skills." There was a loud crashing noise that came from downstairs followed by an 'I'm okay.' "Or his coordination. Anyway come help?"

Will laughed and nodded, kissing Nico one more time before walking out of his bedroom.

"So you finally found your nerdy soulmate." Jason commented, picking up Will's wand that he had left on the bed and gesturing it towards Nico. "I guess this isn't the only wand of Will's you'll be handling tonight?" He teased as Nico went and grabbed it. Nico and Will had been dating for almost a month now, and sex was still something that he got incredibly uncomfortable discussing.

Jason could tell that Nico was uncomfortable due to the rapid spread of a red tint over Nico's neck, face and ears. All the joking in his face dropped as he looked at Nico with a new expression; one of concern.

"Nico! You mean you haven't…" He didn't say it, but the unspoken words hung in the air, making it thick.

"It's not that I'm…against it. I'm…well…it'd be my first." Nico desperately looked at anything besides Jason, focusing intently on an open textbook page of Will's desk. Jason pulled his arm behind his head to rub his hair in the way he always did before he gave Nico advice.

"Nico do you want to have sex with him?" Nico groaned. He did not want to have this conversation with any person in the world. Hazel had been insistent enough to try and give him the talk when he told her about Will, which was extra humiliating because she is his younger sister.

"I mean…I've thought about it. I guess I've just been trying to find the right moment." It was a bad excuse, and he knew that Jason knew that.

"Listen Nico, I do not want to make a habit of lecturing you ever goddamn time we're at the Stolls, but you have no good reason to not. You're just scared. Have you even talked to Will about it?" Nico nodded slightly, fiddling with his thumbs like he always did when he was nervous.

"He's…he's hooked up with people before. He told me about it on one of our dates. What if…what if I embarrass myself? Or I'm bad?" Jason could feel his own blush starting to grow. He absolutely did not want to think about Nico and Will having sex, or Nico's prowess or lack their of in the activity.

"Okay well…" Jason cleared his throat, clearing trying to figure out what to say. "Honestly sex is not good at first. It's messy and awkward, and no one knows what they're doing. It only gets better after practice…that came out wrong. You and the other person learn and adapt and eventually it starts feeling better and better. No one expects you to be an expert on your first try. Besides Will is crazy about you so I'm sure he would be more than happy to show you how it works." The boys smiled at each other, and they silently agreed to never bring this up ever again.

"Jay, I honestly don't know what I'd do without you." Nico commented, wrapping his arm around his friend's shoulder in a pseudo-hug.

"Well if we don't stop talking about your sex life, you'll find out. Come on, lets go see if they need any help. If anything, we can offer to babysit Connor so he doesn't break anything else." Jason held the door open for Nico, who walked out after one more quick glance in the mirror.

Downstairs looked amazing, the Stolls having hung fake cobwebs, lights, and plastic decorations all over the house. The jungle juice was made in a plastic cauldron, and the cups had cartoon bats decorating them. A single disco light hung precariously from the ceiling fan in the center of the room, and all the furniture was pushed against the wall. The kitchen had a ton of chips, pretzels, dips, and cookies, as well as an already drunk Connor.

"Niiiiiiicccccccooooooooo." Connor called out, flinging himself on the smaller boy. You'd never be able to tell based on how lanky Connor looked, but he was extremely heavy. Nico just managed to avoid falling to the ground from the impact, catching the taller boy who was now in his arms. "They're being mean! Save me!"

The confusion in Nico's face was cleared up when Travis and Will entered holding a cup of water. "I'll save you. What are the mean men trying to do?"

"They're trying to sober me up!" The indignation in Connor's voice almost broke Nico's composure, almost.

"Absolutely evil!" Nico suddenly got an idea and mouthed to Will to back down. "Look the evil men are gone Connor, I spelled them away."

Connor looked at him with stars in his eyes as he dramatically proclaimed, "My hero!"

"What if we trick the mean men Connor?" Nico proposed, leaning the boy against the counter to free up his arms.

"How?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. God Connor was the worst drunk in the world.

"Well they want you to drink water right? Well what if I spell the water into something else? I'll just do some magic and turn the water into alcohol that looks and tastes like water. They'll never even find out." Nico saw Jason barely containing his laughter out of the corner of his eye, and he shot him a sharp glare. It was a terrible plan, but drunk Connor might be just stupid enough to believe it.

Connor seemed to consider this for a second before nodding his head vigorously. Nico took that chance to pour the other boy a large cup of water, waving his prop wand over it. "Aguamenti vino." He spoke, suddenly grateful that of the seven words of Latin he had retained from high school, water and wine were two of them.

It was a true testament to the power of Everclear and jungle juice that this plan worked in any way, but Connor began chugging water. As the boy finished a cup, he would refill it and perform his 'magic' again. Will peered in after a while and gave Nico a look of bewilderment. After Connor's third cup of water, they joined the others in the living room.

"How did you manage to get him to drink? He was running away from us like we were trying to poison him." Nico just laughed at that, holding his finger up in front of his mouth as if it were a big secret.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out. I can't go giving you all of my secrets, can I? What kind of wizard would that make me?" Will shot him a hungry look that he had grown to associate with their flirtatious conversations. It made him think back to his conversation with Jason. "Umm…Will." He wasn't sure how to proceed, so he just kissed him. Hoping that the kiss would express his thoughts, he pulled away and gave Will a reassuring smile.

"Not that I'm ever going to be opposed to you kissing me, but what was that for?" Will's face was flushed in the adorable way he got whenever they kissed like that.

"Consider it a teaser…for…for later." Nico wasn't ashamed of the words. In fact, there was something so right about saying it, but nevertheless his face heated up again.

Will looked like he wanted to ask him to clarify, but the doorbell rang, and suddenly the house was on party mode. Only an hour or so later there were at least 100 people crammed into the house, filling the space. Nico and Will were happily dancing away, an improvement from Nico's breakdown earlier in the semester. When Percy and Annabeth showed up, Nico had a healthy buzz going.

"Percy!" Nico nearly squealed, throwing his arms around his friend. Percy was dressed up as left shark from the Katy Perry Super Bowl Half-Time show, and Annabeth was dressed up as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. All in all, they made for a confusing couples costume. He gave Annabeth a tight hug and admired her costume.

"You look great Nico! You make a very handsome Draco Malfoy." Nico smiled at the praise, looking around for Will and Jason, who had gone to get more drinks.

"Hey there Neeks. Where's that friend of ours and boyfriend of yours? I want to introduce him to Annabeth." The shark costume fit nicely around his face, so Percy's tell-tale black hair was hidden. Nico went to make a comment about it, but before he could, he noticed two tall blondes approaching.

"They're back!" Nico called, slipping his arm around Will's waist as the boy approached. There was a comfortable aura around Will that made Nico relax a little bit. Gesturing to Annabeth, Nico introduced them. "Will, this is Annabeth. She's the one dating Percy, which is ironic because she is definitely too good for him." Will looked confused for a moment, but then Percy agreed, vigorously nodding his head before planting a light kiss on her cheek.

"Annabeth, this is Will. Doesn't he make a very sexy Harry Potter?" Nico looked with pride at them, clearly happy to have a reason to show his boyfriend off.

Annabeth just nodded in agreement, frowning at Jason who was the group's designated Nico watcher. He was not known for his tolerance as far as alcohol was concerned. Jason seemed to see her and just shrugged.

"Well Annabeth, its very nice to meet you. Nice RBG costume." She smiled at his knowledge of her costume and pulled him in for a hug. It looked like she whispered something in his ear, but Nico couldn't tell what it was. Will blushed scarlet as he pulled away, which made Nico sure that she had said something embarrassing.

The party continued after that, Nico having chosen to slow down his drinking. Chosen, in this case, meant that his friends and Will wouldn't enable him either. Not that he was a monster yet, but he was pretty close. Nico took the opportunity when he saw it, and decided to do what he had been afraid to. Sometime around midnight, on the fifth play of the monster mash, Nico took Will's hand and started pulling him towards the stairs. Will, too hot from the crowd and feeling the beginnings of a headache, eagerly followed.

His room wasn't far, but with the amount of people in the house, it took them a few minutes to even make it up the stairs. "Why'd you bring us up here?" Will asked, waiting for Nico to respond.

Nico's only response was to crash his lips against Will's, wrapping his arms around the boy's neck and entwining his fingers in his hair. Will melted into Nico's embrace, and returned the fierce kiss.

They stayed like that for a while, before Nico reached for the bottom of Will's vest. Pushing the fabric up, Will seemed to get the idea, and raised his hands. Now devoid of the sweater, Nico began unbuttoning the white dress shirt that had been underneath. Will's skin was tanned and soft, with blonde hair so light that you wouldn't see it unless you were close.

Will tensed as Nico attempted to undo the button on his pants, pulling away for a moment. "We shouldn't…you've been drinking…I've been drinking." Nico almost chuckled. Will was so perfect. He clearly wanted this, but he didn't want to take advantage of Nico.

"I haven't had a drink in hours, and you've barely drank. If you're worried you're taking advantage of me, don't be…I…I want this." As if to prove it, Nico pulled Will by his tie, wrapping it around his hand until the blonde boy's face was right in front of his. This time when they connected, Will didn't pull away. When Nico began to move his lips to trail kisses down Will's neck, he managed to undo the button.

"This…would this be your first time?" Will asked, his breath hitching as Nico nipped at his neck. Nico pulled away long enough to confirm Will's statement, before returning to his task.

"Are you sure? I mean…God do I want to…" Will pushed his hand up Nico's shirt, shivering as it came in contact with his bare skin. "But I want to make sure that's what you want and not what the alcohol says you want."

Nico pulled away, sighing. "There's nothing I want more. I promise. I know that you have more…experience with this, so show me. Show me what to do." He swallowed hard at that, staring at Will's now bare chest. Will started to walk away, and Nico began to panic, but sighed in relief when Will just locked the door.

Nico's heart raced for the time it took for Will to come back to him. They connected again, and suddenly the world around Nico faded away. This was all he needed, Will was all he needed.


	17. The Perfect Night

The sensation of Will's body against his was the first thing Nico noticed in the morning. The taller boy was playing the role of big spoon excellently, curling his forearm around Nico's middle. Nico shuffled a little, trying to turn over without waking Will. This plan eventually was ruined by the blonde boy pulling Nico closer into himself. Sighing in a resignation to how weirdly strong Will's grip was when he was asleep, Nico thought back on their night. He knew from Jason and Percy's bro talk that sex was something that they held in a very high regard, but he hadn't really been sure what it would be like experiencing it.

The Night Before -

"Show me what to do." The moment that the words had left his lips, Will went and locked the door, charging back towards him with a hungry look in his eyes. He looked at Nico for a moment, electric blue eyes meeting dark brown. There was an almost palpable electricity in the air, and Nico found himself short of breath. Will placed a hand under Nico's chin, goading his face up until their lips finally met.

As hungry and fierce as the look had been, the kiss was the opposite. It was deliberate and slow, every movement of Will's tongue setting Nico on fire. It was like he was kissing the sun, nearly burning at the heat he felt. All too soon, Will began to trail kisses away from his lips. When the blonde encountered an obstacle in the form of Nico's vest, he similarly made a nonverbal request to remove it. Nico eagerly obliged, and found his patience growing thin as Will slowly unbuttoned each button on his dress shirt.

Now that they were both shirtless, Will started moving towards the bed. Nico felt his knees hit the soft fabric of the comforter and awkwardly sat. Will wasted no time, straddling Nico and deepening their kiss. With every kiss, Will sent flames travelling down Nico's body, and when Will's hands began to wander, Nico could barely think about anything but the amazing way his fingers seemed to burn.

Already hard from his makeout session, Nico took a brief moment of reprieve to truly appreciate Will. He was athletic, but his muscles weren't particularly hard and developed like Jason's. He was toned but in a more subtle way. Freckles dotted his bare chest, and Nico made a promise to himself to kiss each and every one. The way the moonlight played off Will's smirk made him look like an angel.

"Beautiful…" Nico blurted out, not really sure if he had said it out loud or not.

"Yes, you are." Will agreed, returning to his task of kissing Nico's neck. He probably would've been content to let the blonde do that for a long while, but he remembered what the night was for with a fierce determination. Undoing Will's belt in the position he was in was a little tricky, but luckily Will had seemed to understand his message and stood to take his pants off. Nico fumbled with his own belt, managing to get it off before starting to undo his fly.

Will's hand caught his as he went to do so, and his breath hitched in his throat when the boy whispered, "Let me." Getting down on his knees so he was even with Nico's legs, Will slowly undid the zipper and button, pulling the fabric closer to himself until eventually they pooled around Nico's feet. He had an urge to blush as he realized just how hard he was, how turned on this made him, but he pushed it down. Will was beautiful and he was his, he wanted to make sure there was no room to doubt that.

"I know this is your first time, so I figured we could go slow…if you wanted to." Now it was Will's turn to blush, and Nico couldn't help but smile. His knight in shining armor, always looking out for him.

"Okay. Show me what to do. Show me what you like." There was a mix of mischief and desire in Nico's eyes that drove Will crazy. Crashing down his own lips on Nico's, he intertwined their bodies.

Kissing his way down from Nico's neck down to his navel, Will paused before venturing any further down, glancing back up at the other boy for approval. With a vigorous nod from his partner, Will continued his exploration. Pulling at the fabric of Nico's boxers, they dropped down near his feet too. The night air felt cool against his erection, and Nico hissed from the sudden change. All too soon though, he was much too occupied with a new sensation to care.

Will's mouth closed around Nico's dick, swirling his tongue on the sensitive tip for a moment before taking him in. One hand wrapped around the length he couldn't reach, and another played with his balls. Nico didn't even have the will to think, his whole body reacting only to what Will was doing.

"Fuck." Nico breathed out, feeling tension growing in his stomach. Will moaned against him, and Nico knew that he wasn't going to last very long. He loved seeing Will this way, although he did kind of wish that Will's hair was its normal blonde rather than the jet black they had made it for the costume. His boyfriend was beautiful regardless, and clearly loved watching Nico squirm. The tension was getting closer, and Nico started a warning. "Will I'm gonna…" He didn't even get the full statement out before he came. Will swallowed Nico's load and smiled up at him with a smirk.

"Watching you come undone, having total control…I could get used to that." Nico didn't respond, instead just falling back against the bed. After a moment of catching his breath, he spoke, placing a loving hand on Will's stomach as the boy laid next to him.

"I said for you to show me, and you definitely did, so now its your turn." Will just raised an eyebrow as Nico switched their previous positions. Getting Will's underwear off, he couldn't help but stare at him for a moment. There was something so vulnerable about being there with the boy, but for once Nico wasn't afraid of vulnerability. Tentatively, he flicked his tongue over Will's tip, watching with curiosity at how he would react. For all it was worth, Nico was a damn good sociologist, and this was just another observation in human behavior.

The moan that he drew from Will's lips as he started to take him in his mouth drove Nico crazy. Trying to remember what Will had done for him, he placed a hand on the base of Will's shaft, pumping along with his mouth. Strong hands started entwining themselves into Nico's hair, and he was shocked at how erotic it felt to be doing this to his boyfriend. Will's breathing hitched as Nico's other hand went to play with the boy's balls. He gained more confidence with each passing moment, watching Will come completely undone around him.

"Fuck Nico…I'm so close." Nico took that as a cue to intensify the blowjob, but maybe not before some teasing. Pulling away from Will slowly, Nico waited for those hungry eyes to search him out, to beg for more. When his dick hit the cold air and he noticed the absence of Nico's touch, he looked down at the boy with crazed longing.

"Please Nico…fuck." He gave into those blue eyes the moment he saw how intense they were. Placing himself back in his previous position, he took Will in, rubbing and sucking. He could feel the boy's hips stiffen, and then something sweet. He swallowed Will's cum with a devious smirk, so turned on that he could have done that for him, to him.

"Are you sure you've never done that before?" Will teased, placing his lips on Nico's head in a lazy kiss. He reached down and pulled Nico up onto the bed. They kissed for a few minutes, both recovering from their respective orgasms. It didn't take long to find themselves hard again though.

"Do you want to…Do I…Top or Bottom?" Nico asked, flushing as he fixated on Will's chest, memorizing every curve of muscle and every freckle.

"Well its your first time, so I'll honestly be down for whatever you want, but I…normally I top." Will's smile was hungry and kind, flicking his blue eyes up to meet Nico's brown ones. Nico considered before speaking, "I can bottom. Maybe when I'm a little more…experienced, we could try me topping." Will just nodded his head, kissing Nico again. This time the kiss was sweet, a promise to take care of him.

Reaching into his nightstand, Will pulled out a tube of lubrication, squeezing some onto his fingers, he looked at Nico one last time for confirmation that this is what he wanted. Nico just nodded his head, scooting in closer to Will. He guided Nico's movement, turning the boy so that they were essentially spooning, placing his non-lubed hand around his waist for support.

"This might be cold." He warned, slipping one finger into Nico's ass. Nico tried to think of how the new sensation felt, but it was hard to describe. It became infinitely more present as a feeling of erotic pleasure when Will's second finger joined the first. By the time the third was added, he was nearly begging Will.

"Will…fuck…I'm ready." Nico had no way of knowing if that were physically true, but he was going to lose his mind if Will didn't start fucking him soon. Will pulled his fingers out, and for a moment he wasn't sure if he had done something wrong. Before he could turn to check though, he heard Will rip open one of the condoms he had pulled out with the lube, placing himself at Nico's entrance.

"Tell me if its too much and I'll stop." Will promised, settling his face next to Nico's whispering in his ear. Nico just nodded, finding his arousal too present, clouding his thoughts. Will started pushing in, letting Nico adapt to the pressure before moving. It was a weird feeling, but not unwelcome, and after a moment he nodded that he was ready. Will's breathing became erratic as he pumped in and out, Nico's breath coming and going with each thrust. The moan that escaped Nico's lips made Will's dick twitch inside him.

Nico knew he wouldn't last long like this, and he nearly melted away when Will's hand came around his front to stroke him. His brain was empty except for the sensation of Will filling him. Will's smell filled his nostrils and the feeling of his body moving against Nico's was driving him wild. The pace of the thrusts became faster and Will was getting deeper, and it only took a few more moments for Will to come. He moaned Nico's name as he came, which drove Nico over the edge and soon he was coming too. Pulling out, Will discarded the condom and pulled Nico close to him.

Nico turned to face Will, not moving the arm wrapped around his waist. "Holy shit." Nico offered, finding that stringing together any more words than that seemed impossible.

"Was that okay? I mean I didn't hurt you or anything right?" Will's face was a mix of concern and pleasure, and Nico couldn't help but smile.

"No no. It was perfect…you're perfect." His lips met Will's but they were both exhausted, so it was lazy.

"Well I don't know about you, but I could use some sleep." Will stated, pulling Nico close to him again. Nico took the cue to turn over so they could spoon. That night, he fell asleep with a smile on his face, and it was one of the best nights of sleep he had gotten in a while.

November 1, morning -

Will's arm pulled Nico in tighter, and he smiled as he reminisced about their night before. There was a soreness in his muscles, especially towards the top of his legs, but he didn't mind it. Content to lay there a few more minutes, Nico closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. Eventually though, his bladder ruined all the fun. Wiggling out of Will's grasp took a few moments, but then he was up. Grabbing a pair of boxers that he thought were his and a t-shirt from Will's drawer, he made his way to the bathroom.

When he looked at his reflection in the dirty mirror, he couldn't help but laugh. Will's fingers had raked Nico's hair into some kind of bird's nest replica, and the temporary hair color had begun to fade so he looked like someone with black hair covered in flour. Leaving the bathroom, he returned to Will's room quietly, unsure of who might be sleeping in the other rooms.

Crawling back into Will's bed, he made sure that he was facing him this time. He stared at Will's face, following his trail of freckles on his nose, trying to make a constellation.

"Beautiful…" He accidentally said out loud, whispering it quietly enough that it didn't seem to wake Will. Seeing that the boy was still fast asleep, Nico took this opportunity to say something he hadn't been ready to say to awake Will yet.

"I love you." He spoke, watching as Will's chest moved evenly. He really did love him. Normally he thought people who said I love you after a month were dramatic or stupid, but he'd never been so sure about something in his life. He thought back to when he had asked Percy how he knew Annabeth was the love of his life.

"_Well its hard to describe. I mean you really just know, which I know is not super helpful…Okay so its like this. I had been walking around my whole life being Percy Jackson, but Annabeth, she makes me more. When I'm with her I'm…I don't know, better somehow. She pushes me in ways that no one else does, and she's my biggest supporter. It's like I'm a plant and she's the sun and without her I would die. Not physically, but like I can't imagine life without her now. Sorry if that doesn't help you dude."_

Watching Will sleep, Nico tucked a rogue strand of hair away from the boy's eyes. Will's hair color was also started to fade, but his hair didn't look quite as awful as Nico's did. He decided to take this time, when his love was asleep, to practice what he would say when the right time came.

"Will…" Nico tested, feeling confident when Will's chest rose and fell at the same relaxed rate. "You have been the best thing that I've ever had…no that's dumb. You are the greatest man I've ever met…gods that's worse somehow. Before I knew you, I was small and insignificant and now with you I feel like I could rule the world…better but still feels weird."

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply and thinking about what Will meant to him.

"All my life I have been hiding. From my family, from my friends, from myself. I've been hiding because I was so afraid to lose someone else I loved that I was afraid to love. Then you came along, all blonde and doused in sunlight and it was like I didn't have a choice anymore. I don't think I could've prevented loving you if I tried. You make me smile in ways no one has before, and you are so kind and smart. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I love you, wholly and completely. I am so madly in love with you."

When he opened his eyes, blue ones were staring back at him, and Nico felt a panic rise in his chest. Will didn't respond to him at first, just staring at the boy with a goofy grin on his face.

"I love you too Nico." He responded, placing a sweet kiss on his lips. "I've honestly loved you since that party where you told me about your sister. I was so scared I had chased you away, but then you stayed. You're so fucking smart and funny and I'm so in love with you."

Nico felt like crying and laughing and kissing him, and he couldn't decide which urge would win, but luckily Will understood and connected their lips. He hadn't planned to tell him like this, but something about it felt so right. Will made him want to be better, not like he wasn't enough already, but like he wanted to make Will proud.

This was the feeling that had driven Orpheus to turn back and look at Eurydice. This was the feeling that had made Madea help Jason kill her father and brother. This was the stuff of legends. Dr. Apollo had been right, he had never understood love, not really, and then he had met Will.

"Oh darling my heart's on fire for you." Will sang, and Nico couldn't help but cry. He was so happy, and he couldn't believe that this human embodiment of sunshine was his. Will was everything that was right with the world and he was Nico's.

Nico could just imagine Bianca's response to all this. She would've been so proud, but also would've given Will another one of those hurt him and I kill you talks. It was a sad damper on his happiness that she would never meet him. He put his arms around Will's neck, pulling him in for a deeper kiss. Nico caught sight of the empty space on his sleeve of tattoos, and suddenly he knew exactly what to put there. Will was his sunshine, chasing the clouds and rain away. He would get a sun tattooed in the empty spot, so he could always have Will there to drive away his sorrows.

"I hate to break this up because I would very much love nothing more than to lay here with you all day, but I do have breakfast with my mom in an hour." Nico groaned as Will said that, clinging even tighter to him.

"I'd say just stay here, but I'm pretty sure that would make your mom not like me, and I have a vested interest in her liking me." Will laughed at that, wiggling out of Nico's embrace and getting out of bed. The two boys started getting ready for the day, Will going to shower as Nico got dressed. Feeling gross without having brushed his teeth the night before, and with his hair turning into some kind of abstract art project, he asked Will to drive him back to his dorm on his way to breakfast.

Kissing Will as he got out of the car, he looked at him fondly and said, "I love you." Will was quick to return it, and Nico felt his stomach twist. He must have done something very right to be loved by him.


	18. Thesis Defense

"Excuse me, sorry, excuse me…" Nico watched with relief as Will took his seat in the lecture hall. Pulling at collar of his shirt, he straightened his tie. He hated dressing up, but Dr. A had insisted.

The blonde shot his boyfriend a blinding smile, and suddenly his anxiety and nervousness drained away, replaced with the knowledge that he was ready for this.

"In Ancient Greek mythology, there is a dichotomy of emotion. Love and tragedy often appear in mythology, not separately, but hopelessly entwined. Poets throughout the centuries have utilized this similar dichotomy; Odysseus and Penelope, Romeo and Juliet, Jack Dawson and Rose Dewitt-Bukater. Grand romance is often marred by incredible tragedy. In my thesis, I set out to evaluate the influence of love on a modern world, and to compare that influence to a select few ancient Greek myths." Taking a deep breath, he locked eyes with Will. The boy's blue eyes were nearly glowing with pride, and Nico couldn't help but smile.

"I approached Dr. Apollo with a simple idea; does love stay the same through time or has it changed?" Glancing at his professor, he could see him beaming with pride at his pupil. The dean of humanities however, looked at him with a neutral expression. He swallowed nervously and continued. He needed to pass this thesis defense or he would have to stay an extra semester at least.

"Dr. Apollo had some sage advice for me which I was hesitant to hear. As a sociologist, it is important to be able to empathize with your subject. If you don't understand an emotion yourself, there is no way to study it." He clicked on the pointer that connected to his presentation and waited for the next slide to pop up.

"My love story is not one for the history books, or the stuff of legends. I am not Orpheus desperately trying to bring the woman he loves back from the brink of death. In this way, love has changed; the scale, the setting, the characters. Everything has shifted and yet the love I feel is no less important. Well I think its important anyway." This garnered him a few laughs, and he felt proud. It was time to drive home his argument.

"Who we love, and how we love, has changed in time. I can now text my boyfriend good morning and facetime him at night. Instead of sending a letter or messenger, I can deliver these words myself instantaneously. But the one constant that the world has always had is that love, in any form, exists. To me, the person I love is like the sun; he lights my world in every way. If Hades himself offered for me to bring him back from the dead, I would try." For the next part, Nico looked straight into Will's eyes.

"Dr. Apollo worried that I didn't understand the complexity of love; what it meant to love someone so totally and completely that you would travel the world to return to them. He was right. I didn't, but now I do. Love has not changed, simply evolved."

Taking a deep breath, he clicked again for his slideshow to continue. He had spent days going through and carefully crafting this part. Visuals from Ancient Greek myths juxtaposed pictures of him and Will, of Percy and Annabeth, of Jason and Piper. Love in the modern and ancient forms paralleling. The final picture, which remained on the slide, was one that Percy had taken at Will's birthday party in May. Neither Will or Nico had known that they were being photographed, and you could almost see the love between them. He gazed up at Will like he was the sun and Nico was a planet, being pulled towards him. Nico had needed to use it for his project because it mirrored almost exactly a picture he had found of Odysseus returning home to Penelope.

"In Plato's _The Symposium_, he explains that humans were once punished by Zeus, split in half for their pride. The halves would search all their lives to reunite. This is where the concept of soul mates comes from; a love so strong that you feel as if your partner is the other half of you, separated by the gods. In my conclusion, I determine that maybe the Greeks were a little dramatic…" There was a round of laughter at this, mostly coming from Percy who was losing his mind over the silly joke. "But they got one thing right. Love unifies, it binds, it can create, and it can destroy. It is how we use this love that defines it. It was Plato who said that 'At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.' Now I'm not a poet, my roommate can certainly attest to that." In the seats, Jason hollered his agreement. "But I do know now that it means to love someone completely, and like the Trojan prince Paris, I would die for it."

He clicked the button again, and the screen went blank. For a few moments, no one said anything. His sociology class, his friends, Will, his family, the dean of humanities, the head of the department, and Dr. Apollo had nearly filled the small lecture hall he had booked, and he waited for someone to say something. It was Jason who moved first, starting to clap for his friend. Soon everyone started to join in. Dr. A approached him, taking Nico's hand in his and giving it a firm shake.

"Excellent work Nico." He continued showering praise on him as the dean approached him. The dean was a tall, broad man with a stately-looking beard and closely cropped grey hair.

"Dr. Jupiter, thank you for coming. I hope I did a good job presenting my thesis." Nico tried to hide how much he wanted to throw up out of anxiety, and he guess he must've been doing okay because the man nodded at him.

"Mr. Di Angelo, in all my years at this esteemed University, I have never seen a student who has shown more commitment to their research. You not only produced well-researched examples across millenia, but you showed that you truly understood the subject on which you spoke. When Dr. Apollo told me you were trying to evaluate love, I thought he was crazy, that you were too ambitious and could never create an acceptable thesis on such a personal topic. I am happy to say I was wrong. I am not an easily impressed man, but you've done an excellent job." When the older man held out his hand, it took Nico a moment to accept it. He was shocked. Jupiter had a reputation for being a hard and judgmental man.

After the dean walked away, Will approached, wrapping his arms around Nico's waist and picking him up. He twirled the smaller boy in his arms before bringing him back down and planting a heavy kiss on his lips. "You were amazing! No spectacular! I couldn't stop listening to every word you said. Where did you get that photo of us? I want a copy. I'm gonna frame it. God I'm so proud of you!" Will spoke at a mile a minute, and Nico was smiling so big it almost hurt him.

"Thank you." Nico muttered to his boyfriend. Will scrunched his face and started to argue, "You shouldn't thank me, its true!" Nico just shook his head slightly, laughing.\

"No thank you for showing me what it means to love someone. What it means to be loved by someone. Your dad was right that day in his office; I didn't know what love was, what it meant, and then I met you." Will started tearing up, and Nico hugged the blonde boy tight to himself.

"Told you he'd cry. Pay up seaweed brain!" Nico's eyes snapped over to where Annabeth and Jason were standing. Percy was next to them looking particularly sour as he angrily took two five dollar bills out of his wallet.

"It's not fair. Did you know about the powerpoint? That's cheating!" Nico couldn't help but laugh at his friend as he threw his tantrum. Hazel was the next person to approach, wrapping her arms tightly around Nico's neck. Her curly hair was all in his mouth, and he made some mumbled comment about not being able to breathe.

"You sounded so smart Nico! Dad and Sephie are coming over to agree with me, but they got caught up talking to Will's dad." Nico glanced over to see Dr. Apollo and his father making polite conversation. His stepmother laughed at something Dr. A said, while his dad put on his best 'I'm definitely not annoyed by you' face.

"Remind me to thank Seph for preventing my dad from murdering yours later okay?" Nico whispered in Will's ear, earning a laugh from the boy. A warmth spread across Nico's body, and he wondered if the sound of Will's laughter would ever stop making him feel like he was the luckiest man alive.

"So what's the plan Neeks? We hitting the buffet or is your dad gonna spring for something fancier?" Jason, of course, was thinking about the food he would leech off Nico's presentation and he stuck his tongue out at the blonde.

There was plenty of time for meals with his family after graduation the next day, so Nico just grabbed Will's hand and squeezed.

"Actually J, sunshine here and I have an appointment we have to get to in a half hour. Don't let me stop you from going to the buffet though." Jason and Percy both eyed him suspiciously, and Annabeth smacked them on the back of their heads.

"Don't pry. He wants to keep whatever mysterious thing they're doing a secret, they have every right." The ring on her left hand glinted as she placed it on Percy's shoulder to keep him from saying anything further.

"Oh Annabeth I never got to congratulate you on the engagement!" Hazel commented, ogling the ring on her hand. Nico smiled again. Jason had been mad at him for a week after he had won that bet. It wasn't Nico's fault though that Jason bet $100.

"What about me? I did the engaging you know!" Percy whined, kissing Annabeth's cheek.

"Yeah but you'd be stupid not to ask her, whereas she's stupid for saying yes." Hazel teased, shoving Percy lightly with her shoulder. "Anyway Neeks, Frank wishes he could've come but his mom has his doing some traditional something or other while his grandmother's visiting. He said to let you he'd rather be here."

"Yeah well I'd rather be with Frank's grandma." Nico joked, earning laughs from all of his friends. They lingered and chatted for another ten minutes before Will's alarm went off on his phone meaning it was time for them to leave for their appointment.

"If you don't tell us where you two are going, I'm going to have to assume you're running off to elope and I will never speak to you again." Jason teased, earning an arm punch from Annabeth who gave him her signature 'stop being stupid' glare.

"I'll show you guys later alright? Tomorrow." Nico's voice was sincere, and Percy and Jason held their hands up in surrender. Grabbing Will's hand, he made his way towards the door. Will had volunteered to drive, so Nico grabbed the aux cord and plugged in his phone.

"What playlist do you want? Yours or mine?" He asked Will, as the blonde adjusted his mirror. Looking at Nico, he pulled on his half-smile smirk that made the boy melt and smoothly said, "Ours."

When Nico just stared at him in confusion, he clarified. "I made a playlist that mixes up your favorite songs and mine, and a few that just made me think of you." The blonde grabbed Nico's phone and searched up a playlist. The chords for you are my sunshine began to play, and Nico felt an overwhelming love for Will.

"Everyday I think I can't possibly love you more and then you go and do something like this." He wanted to kiss him senseless, and maybe do some less savory things, but he knew they had to get to their appointments. The drive was quick, with the shop only being a few blocks off campus, and soon enough they parked outside the Fields of Asphodel tattoo parlor. A little bell chimed above the door as the two walked in, and Reyna greeted them.

"Can't believe I finally convinced you to come visit me at work Di Angelo." She teased, crossing her arms over her chest and lifting an eyebrow at him. He just sighed and teased back. "Can't believe I'm visiting you."

After a moment, the two burst out laughing, and she popped behind the counter.

"Who are you getting done by?" She asked Will, pulling out a binder with appointments listed.

"I'm getting done by Leo I think?" He looked to Nico for confirmation, and he nodded his head.

"Alright. I'm gonna take Nico back and get him set up in my chair. Leo should be done in a minute." Will looked like he was going to protest, but Reyna huffed at him. "Nico wants it to be a secret, so stay here and Leo will come get you."

Will tried to turn his puppy dog eyes on Nico, but Nico just rolled his eyes, giving his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. He followed Reyna as she lead to the back of the store. Her chair was all set up, and she had a few design options laid out for him.

"Okay so I took all the elements you said and made a few designs. Which one do you think? It was a little tricky given the rest of your sleeve, but my personal favorite is the second one. Pick whichever one you want though because they'd all make sick tats." Nico was having a hard time combining the Reyna he'd seen at college with this badass tattoo artist. He'd been shocked when he'd asked her where she'd gotten her tattoos and she had said that she had done some of them.

"Number two is perfect." Looking at the designs, he couldn't believe how good they were. It was like she could see inside his head to know exactly what he wanted.

Once they had the tattoo design situated on his arm, she got down to work. Her focus and precision were exactly what he expected from his friend, and even early on he could tell it was an amazing tattoo. It took almost two hours to finish, with all the detail work and color she had to put in. When she was finally done, she held up a mirror so he could see all of it.

It was a bright yellow sun with fire surrounding the edges. Inside the sun, elegant script read, 'At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.'

"Reyna this is fucking amazing!" He felt an overwhelming need to hug her, which was a strange enough instinct for the boy that he complied. She took a second to unclench, but then she hugged him back.

"Nico I know that you told me the pieces you wanted to include, but what do they mean? The sun and the quote are nice an all, but they seem important to you. Plus, with this piece being next to your memorial pieces…I just want to know I did whatever you're feeling justice." She took pride in her work, that much he could tell. They had bonded over their memorial tats when they had met. She had gotten a few for her fallen comrades from her battalion, so he knew she understood losing someone and feeling like it was your fault somehow.

"My other tattoos…" He paused, gesturing to his skull and birds. "They help me remember who I was, and where I came from…this tattoo will help me look forward to who I can be…who he makes me." He felt a blush creeping up his face, but that didn't bother him. His goofy smile told Reyna everything she needed to know.

"You're lucky to have found each other." She added wrapping his fresh tattoo in saran wrap before starting to clean up her machine. "He should be almost done. Now this isn't your first tat, so I won't give you the full lecture, just make sure to take the wrapping off in an hour okay?"

Nico nodded his head, pulling his button-down on and leaving it open. Reyna lead him towards the front of the shop, and gestured off to the side where he saw a boy with wild curly brown hair murmuring to himself in Spanish.

"Nico! You're done? Leo says that I'm almost done too. It looks sick doesn't it?" Nico's eyes fell on Will's shoulder where his tan skin was now covered by a realistic looking moon in a crescent shape. On the curve of the moon floated an angel. Underneath the moon, following its curve read 'You are the light by which my spirit is born.'

"Will…" Nico began, finding himself getting emotional.

"Leo asked me what I wanted, and I wasn't sure so he asked me to describe you and I just startled rambling and well…he deserves all the credit for making sense of what I told him. You always call me sunshine, but if I'm the sun then you're the moon. Without you, I'm in darkness." If Leo hadn't been currently wrapping Will's tattoo, Nico would've pounced on the boy there.

After Leo had completed his wrapping, he sighed. "You two are very cute and I am a genius whose art should be appreciated, but appreciate with a nice tip and not making out in my chair okay?" Nico and Will could tell he was joking by his smile. The two headed to the front and paid, thanking Leo and Reyna again before heading out.

"So when do I get to see your tattoo?" Will asked, unlocking the door to his car. Nico just smirked at him.

"I'll show you when I can take the wrappings off." He sealed his promise with a kiss as the two settled in.

They talked about how Will did with the pain for the whole ride back, and Nico invited Will up to his dorm to watch a movie. He still had another half hour before he was allowed to take his wrappings off, and the blonde was eager to see it, so he agreed.

They decided to watch an episode of Brooklyn 9-9, as they had ended the Office or Parks and Rec argument by mutually agreeing on Brooklyn 9-9 as the new king. Once the episode was over, Nico took off his button-down, pulling on the soft blue cotton shirt he had stolen from Will months before.

"So show me your tattoo!" Will insisted, giving his puppy dog eyes to Nico. Nico just rolled his eyes and started to pull at the plastic wrap on his arms. Soon the tattoo was visible, and he could feel Will's fingers wrap lightly around his arm, pulling him closer.

"That first day I met you, when you hit me in the face with a frisbee…" Will interrupted, pointing out that he technically wasn't the one who hit him with the frisbee. Nico rolled his eyes and continued. "When you came over to check on me, you had a halo around your hair like you were the sun. Loving you and learning to love myself through you has been the best decision of my life. These seven months have been the best of my life. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me." Their lips crashed together, and they kissed for a long time. When they finally did break apart, Will pushed a lock of Nico's dark hair out of his face.

"Did you mean what you said? In your presentation?" Will's electric blue eyes connected with Nico's dark brown, and Nico studied him.

"Which part? I said a lot of things."

"That you'd die for me…"

Nico considered him for a moment before answering. "I'll do you one better…I'll live for you."


	19. Epilogue: Happily Ever After

"Okay but where is the ring-bearer?" Percy asked, panic in his voice. Nico just rolled his eyes as his friend freaked out for the third time that their ring bearer wasn't in his direct eyesight.

"The same as he was three minutes ago when you asked. J took her out so he wouldn't need to go during the ceremony." Nico had thought it was a cute idea to have Percy and Annabeth's dog be the ring bearer, but he had forgotten how troublesome that stupid hellhound could be. Plus, she only ever really listened to Percy and on the odd occasion Nico.

"Oh yeah…right." Percy spoke the words, but Nico was fairly certain he was back to being miles away.

"Look Perce, I don't know why you're so nervous. You and Anna are meant to be. Clearly she loves you if she's agreed to marry your stupid ass." Nico put a hand of support on Percy's shoulder, and he could feel how tense they were.

"That's just it, she's the most amazing girl in the world and I'm…" He shrunk into himself, putting his head in his hands and groaning.

"And you're the coolest dude I know. Hell don't tell J that I said that." Nico smiled, but he noticed Percy's posture hadn't changed.

Pulling out his phone for plan B, he texted Will who was taking care of things on the bride side. _Total meltdown, ask the bride for advice how to continue. Says he's not good enough._

Not even a full minute later, his phone started buzzing. He answered without even looking at the caller ID, knowing it was Will and Annabeth. **"Putting you on speaker."**

"**Percy Charles Jackson stop being an absolute idiot this instant." **At the sound of Annabeth's voice, Percy's head snapped up, and he stared starry-eyed at the phone. Ughh, Nico thought, he was excited for her to yell at him; their love was gross.

"**I'm just nervous, that's all Anna." **Nico was shocked to hear Percy use the nickname over the phone. Normally she only allowed him to call her Anna in private.

"**Do you think I am an idiot?" **She chided, to which Percy shook his head furiously. "She can't see you Percy." He started, laughing as he told her, "He's shaking his head a lot so let's assume that's a no."

"**Honestly…anyway do you think I am a good decision maker?" **Nico could see where she was going and smirked. She had him cornered and she knew it.

"Yeah…I mean of course you are. You're the smartest person I know." It was true, Nico thought, she really was.

"**Then trust that me agreeing to marry you has been the easiest decision of my life. We've had a wild ride. I'm super excited to get to marry my best friend." **Her voice shook at the end, and he could hear Piper in the background informing her that she'd ruin her makeup if she started crying.

"I love you so much Anna." Percy responded, tears in his eyes as well.

"**I have to go finish getting ready, but don't make your best men have to call again!" **There was warning in her voice, but Nico could tell she was smiling. Before she could hang up, he took the phone off speaker, "Will?" He called, hoping that his boyfriend would still be on the other line.

"Yes skelly?" Nico laughed at his response. Years ago, when they had first started dating, he had hated that nickname, but Will was nothing if not persistent. Nico secretly loved it now, but he could never let Will know that.

"Seriously, I get one skull tattoo and suddenly everyone acts like I'm a son of Hades or something." Nico's groan was half-hearted and he could hear Percy snickering as he realized what Will must've said. He'd already gotten his revenge on Percy for sharing that story, but maybe the boy could use a reminder.

"Well I am a son of Apollo so it would make sense." Will's laugh filled the air as it drifted over the phone's speaker, and Nico took a deep breath.

"Once again, and hopefully for the final time, your father is not the sun god from Greek myth, no matter the fact they share a name." Sighing, he resigned to yield on this play argument, remembering his purpose. "Anyway, back to the wedding we're kinda running, J will be back in a minute with Mrs. O'Leary and then the groom's side will be all ready. Is Annabeth's dad there? He left a few minutes ago saying that's where he was heading."

There was a second's pause before Will responded. "Yeah Fred's here. Annabeth, Sally and Athena are doing the mom pictures. Natalie is managing to not make a scene, but she's super pissed that Athena's here. You would think that by now she'd understand that Fred is not gonna leave her for his ex-wife." He cleared his throat, realizing that he was venturing off topic. "Once those pictures are done, they'll do some with the Thalia and the bridesmaids."

Nico grunted his approval, asking, "So how much longer do you expect before I should put the groom in position?"

"Probably ten to fifteen minutes." Will responded, and Nico was grateful that, as a non-best man groomsman, Will had agreed to spy on the bridal party for them. It had been one of Nico's best ideas given the fact that the girls were almost guaranteed to run late if Sally was involved.

"Okay so when you think the photo shoot is winding down, head back to the room. When you get here, we'll know to start heading to the front. I'll see you soon. I love you." Will echoed his sentiments, and Nico sighed. Only ten more minutes of making sure Percy didn't have a mental breakdown.

"So when are you two gonna get engaged?" Percy asked, timing the question somehow perfectly so Jason walked back in with the world's largest puppy. Mrs. O'Leary ran up to Percy, perching herself at his feet and looking expectantly up for pets. Percy was happy to oblige, seemingly glad for her unspoken emotional support.

"Oh are we asking when Nico and Will are getting engaged?" Jason asked, knowing that that was exactly what was happening. It wasn't an uncomfortable topic for Nico, considering he and Will had been discussing it for a while, but he hated being asked about it. Especially since Penelope had started hounding him about it the last time he had been home. Hazel wasn't helping either.

"Hey this shit never got asked back when Piper and Jason were together." Nico complained, feeling guilty that he was jealous of his friend's failed relationship. It had been really hard on Jason and Piper when the distance became too much, but they'd worked really hard to get back to being friends. "Sorry J, didn't mean that. Persephone's just been on my case lately about it. You should've heard her when I went home for dad's birthday."

Jason sat next to Percy on the settee in the office they were using to get ready. Nico had been standing, but decided to settle down in one of the armchairs if he was going to have this conversation. It was time to tell them anyway.

"Actually there's something I wanted to tell you guys." Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out a small red velvet box.

"Fuck! Really?!" Jason was the first to respond, nearly catapulting himself towards Nico to give him a tight hug. Percy responded similarly, and soon Nico was finding it hard to breathe with the full weight of both boys crushing him. Mrs. O'Leary added her bark of approval and he smiled wide.

"Get off!" Nico demanded, which had no effect, so he added, "can't breathe." This seemed to get their attention, and both boys returned to their original seats albeit both with much sappier happy smiles.

"When?" Percy asked, and Nico was reminded of four years prior when they had discussed Percy's engagement in that horribly Chinese buffet near campus. It was hard to imagine they would be here four years later. Jason was a social worker in New York who specialized in keeping siblings together in the system. Percy had taken a part time job as a swim instructor but preferred to be a stay-at-home husband. He figured in a few years when they had a kid that he would make an amazing stay-at-home dad too. Nico had gone on to do a year of law school before dropping out and getting a masters in Mythology and Philosophy. Will was in his final year at medical school, and with him and Nico both graduating soon, it seemed like the right time.

"Not to steal your thunder, but I was thinking tonight at the reception. I talked to Annabeth about it a few months ago when it was just an idea. But I figured there was no better place to do it. I won't do anything public if you don't want me to upstage you or anything." Nico started rambling, realizing that he should've asked Percy before making this grand plan. He started panicking as he realized that he would have to talk to the DJ if Percy wasn't cool with it.

"Nico…" Percy called, forcing Nico's eyes to his. "Chill. I'm totally 100% fine with you asking Will to marry you at the reception. Honestly it'll be a nice break in the attention being on me and Anna." Nico could feel the tension drain from his shoulders and he smiled.

"Neeks, not that I'm not super happy for you, but why now? You've been together for almost five years now." Nico nodded his head, understanding Jason's question. He'd wondered the same thing when he'd had the urge to visit a jewelry shop randomly earlier that year.

"Five years on October 4th." Nico chimed on, making eye contact with Jason before answering the question. "It's time. Will is gonna finish med school in a few weeks, and I'll be done with my masters. Honestly it was when I got accepted back in November that I really decided to go for it."

"Accepted to what?" Percy asked, and Nico smirked at him, excited to share his news.

"I got into Johns Hopkins for their PHD in Philosophy." Jason and Percy stared at him with wide eyes, and he dodged when the blonde threw a pillow at him.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU GOT IN AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?!" Jason was on his feet now, stuck between fury and elation at the news. Percy just smiled stupidly and grabbed Nico out of his chair into another tight hug.

"Calm down J, I'm sure he had a reason." Percy added, releasing Nico and grabbing onto Jason's suit sleeve. Jason looked irritated still, but his happiness for Nico's achievement won out.

"Fucking Johns Hopkins. That's your dream school Neeks. I'm so proud of you." Jason was soon hugging Nico, wrapping his huge arms around the boy's neck. He released a second later, and Nico chose not to accuse him of trying to choke him out.

Before he could say anything else to his friends, Will opened the door. The confusion in his eyes must have been apparent as all three boys in front of him were on the verge of tears and standing very close to one another. Nico panicked for a moment, hastily putting the ring box back in his inner jacket pocket. Luckily, Percy had been standing in the way of Will's view of Nico's hand, so he had missed the frantic motion.

"Wow, and I thought the girls were emotional. Come on Perce, lets go get you married." Will's words seemed to wipe every other thought in the world from Percy's mind as he straightened his posture a little, took a deep breath, and marched out the door.

After he and Jason deposited Percy at the end of the aisle, they headed back to line up with their corresponding bridesmaid. Nico had volunteered to walk Piper, mainly because although Jason and Piper were still on good terms following their breakup, it was hard for them to not be horrifically awkward in romantic situations. That left Thalia escorted by Jason, Will escorting one of Annabeth's friends from grad school Rebecca, and Grover escorting the other bridesmaid Rachel.

Travis had volunteered to walk Mrs. O'Leary down the aisle to ensure the rings got there safely, so he led the way. Grover and Rachel and Will and Rebecca followed shortly after. The bridesmaid dresses were a beautiful light blue shade which was both Percy's favorite color and complimented Annabeth's eyes. The groomsmen were wearing light grey suits to match, and Nico had to admit everyone looked amazing. When it was their turn, Piper offered her elbow to him and he took it.

"Thanks for volunteering to walk me." Piper whispered, somehow not moving her lips very much and staring straight ahead. Nico was positive he didn't know how to whisper that secretly, so he just smiled and nodded his head slightly.

Settling in at the top of the aisle, he watched as Thalia and Jason made their way towards him. Thalia's dress was a slightly darker blue to denote her position as matron of honor. She was heavily pregnant, which somehow made her look even more beautiful. Soon enough, they arrived at the alter as well and it was time for the bride.

The collection of friends and family in attendance stood as the wedding march began to play. Annabeth's dress was beautiful, choosing an almost Grecian gown with flowing layers of draped fabric. The straps fluttered out long flowing sleeves, and a gold beaded belt accented her waist. Nico didn't even need to look at Percy to know that his friend would be crying. Pulling out the extra handkerchief he had kept in his pocket, he handed it to Percy. The dark-haired boy was indeed crying and just shot a look of thanks at him before drying his eyes.

It was a strange feeling for Nico, watching his first crush marry the love of his life. At one point, a childish Nico would've been plotting how to ruin it, how to keep them apart. He'd been relieved when they had broken up the summer before he was due to join them at college, but seeing Percy torn apart was awful. So he helped Percy make it up to Annabeth and get back together with her. That was really what had helped him get over his stupid crush, but he'd always worried that he would never find someone to love the way Percy loved Annabeth, or the way she loved him back.

Then Will had come into his life, attacking his head with a frisbee and ruining any chances he had at being a horrible grumpy lonely bastard for the rest of his life. He reached to his side for Will's hand and found it, just as Percy began his vows.

"Annabeth…" Percy was already tearing up, which caused an equally teary-eyed Annabeth to nervously laugh. "I think everyone who has ever met me can be certain of only two things about me, one, that I am an idiot, and two that I love you. Ever since I was 11 years old I have loved you, as a friend, girlfriend, fiancé…and now I am honored to be able to love you as my wife. I am all in for you, everything of mine is yours; my heart, my soul, my love, my waffles…" There was a pause for laughter there, since anyone who had ever seen Percy eat knew how much he loved waffles. "I am so in love with you and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." He folded the paper and put it back in his pocket, grabbing the handkerchief Nico had given him at the beginning and wiping his eyes.

"Percy, you have been a constant presence in my life for 15 years, and I have not always been glad for it. When we were young you were reckless, childish, immature, but then over our years at camp I saw you slowly grow into the man who stands in front of me today. I told you I wanted to move across the country for college and you didn't ask me any questions or worry about anything, you just said okay. Now I have my own architecture firm and I know that without your love and support I would never have gotten here. You are more than just the love of my life, you are my life, and I can't wait to grow a family with you and see where this life takes us." Nico had to give her credit, she had not full-out cried, which Percy had started to do about four words into her vows. Tears danced around the eyes of nearly everyone present, with both the father of the bride and mother of the groom openly crying as well as the groom himself.

There was only one snafu when Mrs. O'Leary refused to give Jason the rings, but Nico stepped in to grab them. The officiant said the familiar line, "I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride." Applause broke out as Percy dipped Annabeth, kissing her just enough to be appropriate. All in all it had been a beautiful wedding, so now Nico only had to worry about the reception. Annabeth and Percy hugged each of the bridal party members before heading out. When Annabeth stopped to hug Nico, she whispered to him, "Your turn. You should do it at the end of your best man speech."

Nico blushed furiously; nodding into her embrace. "Thank you." It was more than just a thank you for helping him with the proposal. It was a thank you for allowing him to be her friend after he spent years harboring a crush on her boyfriend…husband now. It was a thank you for helping him get ready for his first date. A thank you for being a good friend. She unhooked herself from his tight embrace but gave his hand one last squeeze.

"That'll be us one day." Will commented, placing an arm around Nico's waist to pull him close. Nico couldn't help but smile, feeling the weight of the ring in his pocket.

At the Reception -

Jason took the microphone from his sister, as she finished up he matron of honor speech. "Howdy folks." He began, making sure everyone's attention was on him before continuing. "Percy here, asked me and our friend Nico to be co-best men, so you'll be getting two more speeches tonight. I'm not the most eloquent speech maker, so mine will be brief." He paused, taking a stack of index cards from his inner coat pocket.

"Percy is one of my oldest friends, and while I could stand here and tell you all the embarrassing stories I have about him, like the time he accidentally died himself green for a few weeks, or the time he forgot to wear pants to class…" Percy glared at Jason, but the corners of his lips were turned up so he knew the boy was fighting a smile. "But instead, I want to tell you about the first time I knew Percy and Annabeth were going to be together forever. It was camp, and Nico, Percy and I were in a terrible band. It was the eve before the talent show and we were practicing so we didn't embarrass ourselves too badly in front of the whole camp." Somewhere in the audience a voice, which Nico suspected to be one of the Stoll brothers, shouted, 'Didn't work.'

"Yeah no, it definitely didn't work. But we were all set to play our one song, _We are the Champions_, which we all agreed would be a funny way to enter a competition. Nico and I were practicing when suddenly Percy bursts in shouting about needing to play a different song. He somehow convinces us, and we stayed up way later than we should and learned this new song from scratch, some awful Jonas Brothers song that we did not do justice. He didn't tell us why, and we didn't ask, but the moment we started playing it and Annabeth's face lit up, I knew he had done it just to make her smile." Jason raised his glass to signal a toast and finished his speech. "To a lifetime of making each other smile; to Percy and Annabeth." Percy hugged Jason tight, as did Annabeth. When they broke apart, Nico's heart skipped a beat as he realized he was up next. Jason handed Nico the microphone, and he took a few deep breaths.

"Wow. Thanks Jay for making a beautiful speech, now I guess you'll have to deal with mine." There was some laughter, and Nico could feel his nerves building. Casting a glance to Will next to him though, all his worries melted away.

"Annabeth and Percy are maybe the best couple I know. Not because they're perfect, or because they never fight, but rather because they aren't perfect, and they do. They are some of the most passionate people I know, and they channel that passion into everything they do. The one thing that they do the most passionately though, is love each other. A few years back, Percy and Annabeth attended my thesis defense, where I compared the love of myths and legends to the love of modern day, and if there was ever a couple that proved my point that love is the singular truth of life, its these two. Their love is the stuff of myths and legends, two people so right for each other that it makes the world better. They encouraged me to find a love like that of my own, and without them I may have never done it." He reached down to grab Will's hand, squeezing it gently. "Now the next bit is something the bride and I were conspiring for, so if you'll let me keep your attention for another minute or so." He gestured to the DJ who gave him a thumbs up, before _Hearts on Fire _by Passenger began to play. Will's eyes snapped to his, and Nico just smiled, grabbing his hand and leading him to the dance floor.

"You first played me this song on the way to our second date. You told me all about how this song, to you, embodied what love should feel like, a heart on fire. Every day, you make me want to be better than I was the day before. You are the sun to my stars and the light of my life. You asked me once if I'd die for you and I said I'd do better and live for you; well here I am asking you to never make me live without you. William Andrew Solace, will you marry me?" Nico was down on one knee now, and the music faded to background noise. For a second, there was silence. Will just started furiously nodding his head. He fumbled in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a black velvet ring box of his own.

"I was going to ask you after dessert." He laughed, tears streaming down his face. Nico rose to give Will a passionate kiss, and the attendees all cheered loudly. They were both shaking as Nico slipped the ring onto Will's finger. Will, in turn, opened his own box and slipped his ring on Nico's finger.

Jason, Percy and Annabeth had joined them by then, the whole group laughing that the two had planned on proposing to each other on the same day.

"I'm so happy for you guys!" Annabeth cried out, wrapping them both tightly in a hug. Rather than separating, Percy and Jason just joined in to make a huge group hug. Nico and Will both joked about being unable to breathe, and the group slowly broke apart. Still holding the microphone, Nico spoke into it, quickly explaining. "Now we return to your regularly scheduled wedding festivities as the bride and groom share their first dance." The DJ nodded in Nico's direction as he queued up the song, and Jason, Nico and Will went back to their seats.

"So you were planning on proposing to me after dessert? That's why you said that would be us some day after the ceremony?" Nico's face almost hurt from how much he was smiling, but he didn't care; Will had agreed to marry him.

"Yeah. I guess great minds think alike." With one more passionate kiss, Nico and Will returned their attention to the dance floor. He couldn't wait to get his happily ever after.


End file.
